A/N: Hi guys! I rewrote the end of this chapter about three or four times, I was so dissatisfied. So what was Sasuke going to give Akako, anyways? Find out, you shall.
Rebirth
Part Three: Chasing You
Chapter 11: Ending
I resolved myself to a several-month-long wait when I returned to Konoha. I knew that Sasuke would be just fine on his mission with Tenten, Sai, and Sango, but until then, I was stuck sleeping in his bed. It still smelled like him, so for the first week or so after I got back, I was able to get a few hours of rest a night. I missed the feel of his chakra nearby.
Sasuke sent me a note every week. They were all short, but the sight of his meticulous handwriting was enough to make me smile.
I went on another B-rank mission a few weeks after my mission to Iwagakure, but other than that, things were slow. I debated going to Kirigakure to learn more about the oinin or possibly taking on a three-man team, but I wanted to wait for Sasuke to return first so I could consider his opinion.
Instead, I increased my hours at the hospital and began volunteering at the Academy as a tutor and substitute teacher. The work kept me busy, particularly where the Academy students were concerned, but not content.
The most exciting thing that happened in the next few weeks was the announcement of Naruto and Hinata's engagement. The two of them told me themselves, Naruto bursting into the hospital with Hinata not far behind.
"Sakura-chan, Akako-chan, look!" he shouted. The two of us looked up from our paperwork, surprised and a little annoyed.
"We're engaged," Hinata said, holding out her hand.
"CONGRATULATIONS!" Sakura and I dropped what we were holding and rushed over to examine Hinata's ring.
"It took you long enough, Naruto," Sakura scolded, as we fussed over Hinata's hand.
"Man, I wish Sasuke were here!" Naruto said, grinning so widely I was surprised his face hadn't split. "He's going to be my best man, you know."
"He'll be back," I reassured him.
After another month of waiting, I was going stir-crazy. Sasuke's mission was supposed to take six months, and I could barely make it four. I was getting next to no sleep, and I had constant headaches. I'd taken to meditating as often as possible to try and relax, but I couldn't get more than an hour or two of respite at a time. It wasn't until I collapsed while training one day that I realized how stressed my body was.
"Akako-chan, this can't happen again!" Sakura said, her forehead furrowed with worry. "We had to put you in a medically-induced coma."
"I'm sorry, Sakura-san," I replied, taking the glass of water she offered me. "I've tried everything short of knocking myself out, but nothing works."
It unnerved me, how much I needed Sasuke to sleep after spending several months camped out with him, hunting Orochimaru. My traditional methods of training and meditating weren't working, and though I've long accepted that I will probably never sleep peacefully through a night, I can't run on no sleep, either. In this, my respect for the current Kazekage rose tenfold.
"What'll I do until then, Sakura-san?"
She bit her lip before finally saying, "I'll prescribe you some sleeping pills."
"They don't work on me."
She bit her lip harder.
"Then you'll have to sleep at the hospital from now on."
-paragraph break-
Weeks later, I was deep in my artificial version of sleep when Sasuke returned from his mission. I didn't start waking up until he and Sakura burst into my room at the same time.
"Sasuke-kun! You can't just—"
"Shut up!" His chakra was blazing.
At this, my eyes flew open. I saw Sasuke hovering over me, looking distinctly disheveled. Sakura stood behind him, looking stung.
"You…need to apologize to Sakura-san," I said, struggling to lucidity.
"I'm sorry," he growled, after a short pause. "Now leave."
Without another word, Sakura fled.
"When did you get back?" I asked, as he pulled me into a sitting position. "Did you report—"
"Kakashi can wait," he snapped, scooping me up.
I noticed that Sasuke's clothes were dirty and bloodstained, and he smelled like he hadn't bathed in ages. Still, I was half-asleep in his arms by the time we reached the Uchiha compound.
"Go take a shower, Sasuke," I mumbled, as he tucked me into his bed.
"Troublesome woman," he replied, before leaving to do just that.
I listened to the sounds of Sasuke showering, struggling to stay awake even as his chakra flickered familiarly in my vision. I felt myself slip under for a few minutes as he towel-dried his hair, but I was startled back into awareness when I felt his hand on my head. I opened my eyes to see Sasuke looking at me intently.
"I missed you," I whispered.
His eyes softened, and he stroked my hair once before going around to the other side of the bed. With a sigh, I fell asleep.
When I woke up, sunlight was streaming through the window.
I was wrapped up in a cocoon of Sasuke's blankets, which I must have stolen in the middle of the night. He was lying next to me, on his back. He was still asleep.
My face flushed when I saw that Sasuke was shirtless. Frowning fiercely, I remembered that he'd gone to bed with a shirt on. Just how long had I been asleep? Surely it hadn't been for more than a few hours.
Resolutely keeping my eyes on his face, I studied his sleeping expression. His face wasn't completely relaxed, but the lines around his mouth had loosened. His eyelashes made small shadows under his eyes, which fluttered as he breathed. I was tempted to touch his hair, which was splayed across his pillow, but I was unwilling to extricate my arm from the mass of blankets surrounding me.
Eventually, I felt his chakra start to stir. Knowing I could not fool him by feigning sleep, I instead made sure I was looking elsewhere as he opened his eyes.
"Good morning, Sasuke-san," I said.
"Good morning," he rumbled, getting up. Before I could move, he'd come around to my side of the bed and picked me up.
"I can walk, Sasuke-san," I said.
"You need to rest."
"I did rest," I protested, as he carried me towards the kitchen. "How long was I asleep?"
"A day."
"A day?" I exclaimed.
-paragraph break-
Sasuke cooked breakfast. By the time he brought the food to the table, I'd freed both my arms from his blankets.
"I'm sorry I took all your blankets," I said, looking at him for his reaction.
He made a small noise.
"You came back early," I said, as we began to eat.
"Aa."
"So they're all gone?"
He nodded. Sasuke's mission had been to kill the rest of Orochimaru's followers, barring Kabuto.
"You should rest," he said, after a few moments of silence.
"I don't want to stay in bed all day," I protested.
"Sakura said no training and no work for a week."
"A week?" I exclaimed. What was I going to do with myself?
Sasuke looked at me for a bit before releasing what looked like a tiny sigh.
"Get dressed."
I met Sasuke at the door, wearing my usual training outfit. For my benefit, we walked to the training grounds. I refused to let him carry me, though that would have been faster.
It seemed to take an eternity to get to the training grounds. A few people inquired after my health. Others congratulated Sasuke for a job well done. Mostly, they stared at our joined hands.
When we reached an empty training field, he let go of my hand. Immediately, my arm stopped tingling.
"Sit," he said, pointing to a stump.
I sat.
Looking directly at me, Sasuke activated his Sharingan. Automatically, I activated mine, as well. I realized he was going to teach me as he pulled Kusanagi from its sheath, his body still facing me. Sasuke spent the better part of an hour demonstrating forms, keeping up a constant stream of commentary. In addition to describing the forms, he also offered suggestions on how to adapt them to my fighting style. It was the most I'd ever heard him speak at once.
"Get up," he said.
Standing, I drew my tantou and joined Sasuke. He watched as I slowly went through the forms he'd just demonstrated, occasionally correcting me with a light touch or a comment. It took me an hour to go through half of them, as I had to improvise on the go with my double blades. Before long, sweat was pouring down my face and back.
"Enough," he said, when my arms started to wobble. "Let's go see Sakura."
I perked up, wondering if this was his way of apologizing to her for being rude a few days ago. He ended up taking the both of us to lunch, proving me right. I could tell Sakura was pleased by the way she was blushing.
After lunch, I slowly trained for another hour before Sasuke made me sit down again. I settled down with good grace and watched him for another hour with my Sharingan activated. With Kusanagi in hand, Sasuke was an artist.
That night, I crawled into my bed and almost immediately fell asleep. When I woke up, I was back in Sasuke's room. Bewildered, I sat up and pinched both cheeks. Was I dreaming?
I heard Sasuke chuckle from the bathroom, and I glared at the closed door.
"What was that for, Sasuke-san?"
He came out a few moments later in a great cloud of steam. Poking me in the forehead, he said, "I missed you, too."
-paragraph break-
I spent the next few days getting the best sleep in my entire memory. I gave up sleeping in my own room after I mysteriously ended up in Sasuke's bed a second time. He draws a great deal of amusement from waking me up in unconventional ways, such as by blowing in my ear. I'd never seen this playful side of Sasuke before, and it slightly unnerved me.
"You're good to go, Akako-chan," Sakura said, withdrawing her hands from my temples.
"Finally," I said, getting up.
"Don't overexert yourself," she warned.
"Aa."
"Whatever you've done to Sasuke-kun, keep doing it," she said, smiling. "I want more free lunches."
"Okay, Sakura-san," I replied.
I had an afternoon to kill. Finding my old music player, I listened to a disc while sharpening my tantou and organizing my weapons. Even though it's peacetime, one can never be too careful. I made dinner only for myself—Sasuke had told me earlier that he would be out all day. He came home after nightfall with another enormous flower arrangement.
I examined it as he went to his room to change. Ino must have had a fit putting it together: hibiscus, lilac, marigold, and delphinium. Seeing and smelling the generous amount of lilac made me blush happily.
"I like it," I said, when Sasuke reappeared.
He nodded, pleased.
"Bring some of the flowers with you," he said, "we're going to visit my family."
I knelt respectfully behind Sasuke as he cleaned the graves and put the flowers I'd brought into the vase in front of his mother's name. He bowed his head for a moment before standing. I stood up as well and watched as Sasuke looked at the sky.
It was a beautiful night. The moon was full and bright. I wanted to scoop up a handful of stars to put into my pocket. A light wind was blowing, ruffling the surface of the lake where Sasuke and I had learned the Goukakyuu no Jutsu.
Turning, Sasuke looked at me for a long time. I kept silent, feeling strangely calm.
"Akako."
I blinked at him.
"You have become strong."
He reached out to take my right hand, and I let him. He spent a few moments contemplating my fingers before he spoke again.
"You will bring honor to our clan," he said, as he fished something out of his pocket.
I stopped breathing.
Right in front of his parents' graves, Sasuke knelt before me. A strange sensation flooded me, down to my toes.
"Akako," he said. His right eye was like ink. His left eye glowed.
"Yes?" I squeaked.
"Marry me. Be my wife."
I burst into tears.
Getting up, Sasuke gathered me carefully into my arms. I felt his lips moving in my hair as he said, "Silly woman."
"You said you wanted to give me something when you came back," I blubbered, wiping futilely at my face. With a few more gasps, I pulled back to give him an answer. My voice stuttered and died in my throat when I saw the expression on his face.
Sasuke was smiling.
Actually, he was grinning from ear to ear. It highlighted his boyish features and made him look his age, for once. The instant I saw it, I knew that I wanted to get Sasuke to smile like that again. I stared at him, dumbstruck.
"Are you going to answer me?" he asked, his cheeks dimpling.
It took me another moment to find my voice.
"Yes," I said. "I'll m-marry you."
Sasuke smiled again before pressing a kiss to my forehead.
"You are my family," he murmured, as he slipped the ring onto my finger.
"It's all I've ever wanted," I whispered.
-end of chapter-
A/N: And that's a wrap, folks! Don't worry, there's still the epilogue.
For those of you who were wondering what the flowers in Akako's arrangement meant, here they are-
Hibiscus: delicate beauty
Lilac: first love
Marigold: October (Akako's birth month)
Delphinium: July (Sasuke's birth month)