Chapter 6: Come Home
"Sakura.." A whisper hissed from the encompassing darkness.
There's someone in the room, she paces in circles looking for any signs of his location. "Sakura." the raspy voice calls out again only this time closer than before. Her heart begins to pound inside her chest, a feeling of absolute dread rushes over her. Clawing through the darkness she runs. The night never ending, her terror continues as she is grabbed and shoved to the floor. She feels his presence all around her. He forces her down as he drapes his large body over her own. Using his weight to restrain her, his head hovers next to hers as he takes in the scent of her hair. The steam of his breath now fills the contours of her ear, "Sa..ku..ra." he hissed once more.
I can't breathe..please..stop! Shaking her head vigorously, she tries to cry out but her voice is mute. Her chest crushed beneath his own, she tries desperately to pull away. The figure of the dark pulls her hands from his shoulders and stretches them above her head. He bound them with one large hand while the other began to explore her body.
In a flash she feels herself exposed. His rough fingers traces her curves and make their way down through the soft pink thatch of curls. Don't touch me! Get away! Get away from me! She screams in her mind. She manages to squirm beneath him, but the stranger captures her lips with his own. The kiss is deep and soft. I..I know this kiss. Even his taste is familiar. she thought.
The tension in her body subsided as she allowed herself to sink into his kiss. He now releases her hands to stroke her cheek as he continues to taste her lips. She wraps her arms around his broad shoulders. Her feeling of panic slips away to excitement while his hands graze her inner thighs
and pulls them apart. Adjusting his position, he slowly enters her.
Soft moans intermingle with labored breaths. Running her fingers though his hair, she gives herself completely to him. "Sakura.." he says again. His voice now clearer and more familiar, it arouses her further. A rush of heat overcomes her as the climax nears. Her moaning now constant, her breathing erratic. She wants more, her body aching for release when suddenly he stops cold. Her eyes shot open. "Sakura.." And as she looks into his sharingan eyes he says, "Come home."
"Sasuke-kun?" she whimpered.
"Sakura...Sakura!"
Sakura jumped as she awoke. "Yuna? What happened?"
"You were doing it...again! This time you almost woke up Shin."
Wiping the sweat from her brow she could still feel the heat in her cheeks. "I'm so sorry. I don't know why I keep having these dreams."
"Usually," she said, "its when your sub conscious is trying to explain your feelings about something or in this case someone. Often times dreams are made of flashes of memories, thoughts and feelings. Then again others are made of complete non sense. But I think you know why you have this particular dream, even if you don't admit it." she smiled as she let herself out of the room.
Sakura sighed. She looked past her shoulder at the alarm clock on the nightstand "7:23." Staring at the blue numbers for a moment, she recalled the calender date they represent. Sasuke's birthday. Damn. There really is no escaping him, she thought. "I need a shower. A nice cold shower." she mumbled to herself.
It was now late afternoon in the Waterfall Village. The heat of the summer day was just starting to diminish. Sounds of hammering, sawing and people yelling as they worked on repairing a nearby house had ceased early this day leaving the area quieter than usual. Sakura appreciated the lack of noise, especially on her day off. Yuna had taken her son to the daycare where she worked leaving Sakura the house to herself. She had managed to cast away her late night dream by burying herself in work.
Sitting on her bed with open scrolls spread all around, she couldn't help but feel frustrated. She realized how easy it was when Tsunade and Shizune were just down the hall. If she ever had a question all she had to do was ask, but now she had to figure things out on her own. She did love doing research on new medical techniques, but when her impatience grew, she longed for her shishou's advice.
Thinking of her former master irritated her. The fact that Tsunade allowed Sasuke to go on that mission of espionage and didn't even have the courtesy to mention it to her or Naruto still touched a nerve. And Sasuke..Why do I dream of him so often.. her thoughts were disturbed when she heard a light commotion outside. It reminded her of a certain friend she hadn't seen in some time.
She sighed, "Naruto.." And thought, I wonder how he's doing? Is he getting along with Sasuke? Are they even talking to each other? Memories of the past flooded her mind. The many arguments between the two, the intense rivalry and the rare times they spent with each other at peace. She softly smiled. Lost in her thoughts, she jumped upon hearing a knock on the front door.
"This isn't going to work, she's going to see right through it. If she hits me I'm going to kick your ass.."
"Stop being such a bitch.."
"Screw you, she's lethal! Last time she hit me I was in the hospital for a week! Tsunade ba-chan said that if I wasn't such a rapid healer, I would have been in the ICU an entire month!"
"Your whining is really starting to annoy me."
"Shut up, and concentrate on the plan. I didn't go through all this trouble for nothing. And if someone from this village sees you..." He stopped mid sentence as the door opened.
"Naruto?" Sakura said surprisingly.
He smiled awkwardly. "..Hey."
She smiled and hugged him excitedly. "I was just thinking about you! It's so good to see you!"
"It's good to see you too. I'm sorry I didn't get to visit sooner, my schedule's been crazy."
Releasing him from her grasp she said, "Don't worry about it." Her eyes looked to the stranger a few feet behind her friend. A young man with brown short hair, green eyes, and a Jounin vest. Her head tilted, her eyes narrowed and her smile faded. "That look doesn't suit you." She turned to Naruto, "What the hell is he doing here!"
"Sa, Sakura-chan, he, he just.."
Sasuke canceled the transformation, and returned to his raven black hair, obsidian eyes and dark clothes. "I need to speak with you." Looking her up and down, he admired the girl's choice in clothing. She wore a very short black skirt and a black mesh sleeveless top with a black bra underneath. A strap fell loosely from her right shoulder. The dark lace adorned her fair skin in a way that made his temperature rise.
Her heart racing, she glared at him. "Leave!" She turned to Naruto. "How could you bring him here! Idiot!"
"But, but Sakura-chan, he.." Naruto stuttered as he braced himself for Sakura's fist which he knew was coming. Just before impact, Sasuke flashed to her side and grabbed her arm tightly, stopping her in her tracks.
"That is not necessary..Sakura." He said in a low tone of voice. I'm only here to return something to you."
Sasuke's demeanor was reminiscent of the Sasuke she dreamed of the previous night. The way he held her arm, the forcefulness, and even the way he said her name. It all made her feel uneasy. She panted slowly trying to catch her breath as she let the chakra dissipate from her fist. Her attention then shifted to a medium sized box he pulled from behind his back. She knew not of what was in that box, but she knew it was important. The sinking feeling in her heart told her that much. "Fine, give it to me and go."
"Well, I'm going to take off, I have some business with Shibuki. I'll see you later Sakura-chan." She said nothing in response. Her eyes and Sasuke's were locked on each other. The intense aura around them made Naruto nervous, he doubted Sakura even heard him.
As he disappeared Sasuke released her arm and opened the box. She glanced down at the contents and gasped. Stunned by what lay inside, she tried to step back, but she stumbled. Sasuke reached out to her, but she grabbed the door frame before she fell completely. "You should sit down." he suggested.
She nodded, regained her footing and walked inside where she sat at the dining room table. He followed and sat beside her placing the opened case in front of her. She picked up two of the three items. Both were hitai-ates, one with the Konoha leaf symbol and the other the insignia of the Waterfall. "This..was Hiroshi's hitai-ate..and mine. How did you...When?"
"I had just finished closing the paths of your seal. While you were unconscious I went to the security room and viewed the surveillance tape of your holding cell. I took the tape, and went down to the cell. I don't really know why... but I went down there anyway and in the sand, I found his hitai-ate. It must have fallen when they removed his body."
Slow, heavy tears fell from her eyes, she asked, "And you took it? Why?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I saw you kiss him, I figured he was important to you and you would want it if we survived."
"And my own?"
"It fell from my bed while you were in the shower."
Her eyes fixed on the last item in the box. "And that's the tape?" Sasuke nodded. Sakura asked, "Did anyone...see it?"
"Godaime, she questioned me about it when I woke up in the hospital. She agreed to return it to me so I could give it to you. I thought you would like to be the one who destroyed it."
Staring at the tape she then picked it up and as she held it, the events captured there in flooded her mind. Her voice and Hiroshi's voice were now so clear. "What do you want with us?"
"Son of a bitch! Get the hell away from her!"
"No!!"
"Can you say ...it.....please..just let me hear you say.. it..once, p..please..tell...me."
"I...love you."
She then recalled another voice, one she wished to forget.
"Sakura-hime. My, my, how you have blossomed."
Her hand now trembling with rage, she gathered her chakra and released it while she squashed the tape. It shattered instantly, sending the the remaining particles of plastic off the edge of the table and to the floor. Sasuke didn't even flinch at her demonstration of power.
She took a deep breath and sighed as she then lifted Hiroshi's hitai-ate. Tapping a small dent near the center of it, she lightly laughed. "You see this?" she asked Sasuke. "This dent. I did that. It happened on our first mission in the Waterfall Village. Well first without you as part of our team. Naruto, Kakashi and I were to work with a local team to try to improve their ninja, communications and medical staff. Basically upgrading the whole village. Hiroshi was the leader of the team that was to coordinate with us. But after taking one look my way, refused to work with me. Saying I was too pretty to be a serious ninja. I smiled and flicked his forehead with a tiny amount of chakra. Heh, he flew back fifty feet, and had a serious headache afterwards. When he did manage to get up he didn't refuse to work with me again."
Her fingers slid from the metal plate to the cloth underneath. She separated them pulling something out. A picture of Hiroshi hugging a brightly smiling Sakura from behind with the the waterfall in the background.
"Then there's this." She showed it to Sasuke and said, "He always kept this picture with him." she smiled softly. "He said he carried it for luck, because on this day, at this place, I made him the luckiest man alive by accepting his proposal. He said...my beauty never ceased to take his breath away."
Admiring the image, he said, "You seem to have that effect.."
Ignoring his compliment, Sakura placed the items back on the table and took a deep breath. "Thank you...for this. But why did you wait so long?"
"When they gave me my belongings at the hospital, I thought about giving it to you then but I didn't have the time. When I wasn't asleep I was being questioned and debriefed. When they did let me go it was only to the mission briefing with Tsunade. So I took a little detour and went to see you. And you no doubt remember how that went. And after our confrontation I wanted to give you some time. Judging by the way you reacted to my presence earlier, it was the right decision."
"I see." She then picked up the hitai-ates, got up and walked to her room. Sasuke instinctively followed. He watched her place Hiroshi's head band next to his picture which stood on her nightstand next to the old team 7 picture. She then folded up her own head band and placed it neatly in the drawer. She sighed, kissed her fingers and put them to Hiro's picture.
Concealing his irritation, he waited for her in the hall. They returned to the dining room then she offered her guest something to drink. He accepted kindly, and they once again sat at the table. They both sipped their tea in silence as the light noise of the cicadas outside filled the air around them.
"Sakura, do you still hate me?" he said trying to clear the air..
She took a moment to consider her answer. "I can't say that I hate you. Over the past few months I've been thinking about everything. And while I don't agree with what you did, I understand why. I might have done the same thing if I were in your position. You were..right, what you said when I left. I was hurting, and I took it out on you. I'm sorry for some of the things I said."
Sasuke expected her to come to reason, but he never expected an apology. His plan for her return looked promising at this point. "Don't worry about it." he responded. "So, we're okay then?"
"I think so, but let me ask you something. If you could go back and change things, would you?"
He sighed, "There's not a day that goes by when I don't think about whether I made the right decision in leaving. Every night I see your tear stained face, I see the pain in your eyes and hear you pleading for me to stay. It's become more than a memory, it haunts me. Even to this day, those feelings, those words, your...love, are still with me."
"Then, you regret leaving, you would change it?" she said hopefully.
"No." he said flatly. "My leaving opened new paths for all of us, and we are exceptional ninja because of it." Sakura's heart sank. Seeing her downcast expression he said what he could to console her, "It wasn't easy, for any of us, especially you and I apologize for that. But just know that I left because I had to. It was the only way to keep you safe, to keep everyone in the village safe. I gave up the life I knew for the safety and redemption of those I love. And I would do it again with no hesitation. My only regret.. is causing you pain in every way there is to feel it."
Sakura now wide eyed and breathless, finally understood. It was so simple. What he did was only a mere brush stroke in a vast painting. Never until now did she get the big picture. That he cared for her, for Naruto, for Kakashi-sensei, for the entire village as well as avenging his clan. And the only way he could ensure the safety of the ones he cared for while becoming stronger in order to kill Itachi was to go to Orochimaru. She felt so stupid. How could she have never considered it? "I..I should have known." She said in realization while staring blankly at the table before her.
"Sakura, it's in the past now. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself." His hand reached out to her, and with his finger he caressed the back of her hand. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt his touch. Sakura wanted to pull away, but part of her wanted to reach out to him. To hold him and never let go and for that reason, she said. "I think you should be getting back. Naruto is probably waiting for you."
Disappointed, Sasuke withdrew his hand and staring into her eyes he could see her struggle within. Abruptly he turned away and started for the exit. He was a step outside the door when she called out for him. Turning around he watched her as she ran up to him. Her hands grazed his cheeks, then wrapped around the back of his neck. She looked up into his dark eyes and slid her fingers up through his hair as she kissed him one last time.
He embraced her, and as sudden as that kiss started it stopped. Sasuke brought his forehead to hers. His eyes still closed, and with his feelings to the surface he whispered, "Sakura, come home."
Three words. Three words was all it took to shake her to her very core. It couldn't be a coincidence, could it? He had to be causing my dreams. I can't trust him. I just can't! she thought. Her hands slid down to his chest, "I'm sorry, Sasuke." she said as she lightly pushed him away.
"Naruto and I will be leaving in the morning. We're staying on the outskirts at relief camp B." His fingers slid under her chin, "If you change your mind, come find me."
"Goodbye, Sasuke." Disheartened he turned and as he walked away, transformed his image.
A woman standing only steps away from the home watched him suspiciously. After he walked by she turned her attention to Sakura. Going into the house and placing the groceries on the kitchen counter the woman said in a firm tone, "Is that him?" Sakura didn't reply. "The one who saved you? Your ex-team-mate? The one your heart lies with? The one you dream about every night?"
Startled, Sakura tried to explain herself, "Yuna I.."
"I saw it! I saw you kiss him." Yuna sat down. "Honestly Sakura, why are you still here? My brother is gone, this village once a wasteland is now finally starting to resemble the beautiful place it once was, and the people are getting on with their lives. Everyone except you. You dwell here, keeping as busy as possible trying to avoid your true feelings and thoughts. What, you think I don't see you? I see you with that stone expression you've become accustomed, and I wonder why you hardly smile, and never laugh, not even a little bit. When I saw you with that man just now it was the most alive I have seen you in quite some time."
Her eyes burned as she restrained her tears. Sakura sat obediently listening to her once to be sister-in-law's lecture. Yuna continued, "You don't have to feel ashamed of it."
"But, you don't know.." Sakura started to tremble. Her tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.
"No, I don't know what happened in your past, but it is the past regardless. Whatever it is, just let it go. If there is anything you should have learned from all this it should be that the person you love now could be gone tomorrow. If that were to happen, is this the place you truly want to be?"
End Chapter
A/N: No, I'm not dead and neither is this story. I know I said it would be the last chapter, but because it is so long I had to cut it into pieces. Next update coming soon..definitely under a year, lol.
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