Chapter Eighteen
The forest is cold and dark, even though the sun hadn't yet set. Sasuke was traveling with Kakashi-sensei ahead of me, and the anbu, Mechryu and Rasachi were traveling almost beside me. I try to keep my mind off of Itachi; I'm finally going home.
My hair whips around in the air, and I am for once not being carried; I'm not wrapped in anything, or having my wrists gripped onto- but I don't feel like I'm free. I look back to where we were heading from. Would I really go back for Itachi? A few weeks ago, I would have sprung into Sasuke's arms and had him take me off into the sunset without a second thought- but- now I can only think about Itachi.
He was different than Sasuke. He actually showed that he in a way; might have cared. Sasuke did that too, but now that I think about it, I may have just imagined that. Lifting my hand, I feel my lip. If I had bit it in front of Sasuke, he probably would have said that I was weak if I cared about a bleeding lip.
There is the boy that I have chased after, I lost my friend, my hair and my heart for, and he doesn't seem to care a bit for me. I- I still have feelings for him- but I shouldn't, not if they will never be returned. That's it- I have to stop. "No more," I whisper under my breath, bringing my hand back down to my side.
"What?" Mechryu asks, turning to me, looking through the small eyes holes of her anbu mask. I realize that she had heard what I had said and I shake my head to make it seem like I didn't know what she was asking about.
I look forward and my cheeks flush with color the moment I see that Sasuke was looking back. He looks away, not changing his steps pattern. Why am I so stupid? I say that I won't like him anymore and then the moment I see his face, I go back to my childish fantasies, I have to stop this.
The sun continues to set and I try to think things through- so what do I do? I have to stop. This is something that I need to clean myself of. I look at Sasuke and try to think to myself- this ninja- after not seeing you for a week, and knowing you had been captured by the Akatsuki, didn't even bother to ask if you were fine. He almost hurt you. You don't like him, Sakura.
I stop thinking this, feeling ridiculous, he's after his brother- what did you expect for him to do- embrace you and say those seven day's were the longest days of his life? Sakura- get a handle of yourself! I try to forget all of this- but somehow, it helped what I was trying to do; slowly I could feel some anger grow at Sasuke.
Kakashi-sensei begins to slow down, and Rasachi and Mechryu follow his speed. He slowly comes over to me, looking at my face. "We'll stop here for the night, Sakura needs rest, and we're out of range enough that the soonest they'd get here would be noon tomorrow." Kakashi takes off a small pack that was on his back and leans against a tree behind him. Sasuke turns around and begins to head back towards us. I keep my face from flushing, trying to control my, hopefully false, feelings.
Rasachi and Mechryu slowly take off their anbu masks, their faces almost red from the heat of the small masks. I look to the ground, sitting down on the ground that seemed to be covered with roots. Sasuke kept his distance from the small group, sitting against a tree, keeping his eyes open.
Kakashi-sensei closes his eyes, and Rasachi does the same. Mechryu continues to stand, her mask hanging off of the pack on shoulder. I continue to sit there, unable to close my eyes, or to even day-dream. I look at Mechryu, and she walks over to me.
"Why did Sasori have me in there?" I ask, hoping that she would know. She looks to Kakashi-sensei, then sits down beside me.
"Sasori is a puppet master," she says, looking ahead of us at Kakashi. "My guess is, he wanted you to be his next puppet." I look at her, confused. Puppet?
"What do you mean; puppet?" I ask, trying to figure this out.
"He uses the bodies of the deceased as puppets; I heard he even uses his parent's," she says, her face disgusted with the thought. I think back- that body, was that his mom? And- he wanted me to be one of those? My mind races- so all of that niceness he had showed, when he gave me that candy, and when he kissed me- was it all just a trick to drag me into it? "Why?" she asks, looking at me.
"I was just wondering," I mumbled. So, that's what Itachi had meant when he said 'I won't let you do this to her'. So he does care. I look up to the now dark sky; I have to go back to him.