Title: Be There To Love Me
Summary: The first time I saw my husband was on our wedding day. The first time we touched was when his lips met mine in a soulless, cold, life-binding kiss. The first time he spoke to me he told me I annoyed him. The first time I felt alive was when he said he loved me. AU SasuSaku
Disclaimer: I'll own it someday! Believe it! -insert rabid Americanized Idiot Eater here-
Author's Notes: Yea, this chapter was fun to write. It has more humor than the last chapters (at least I think it does) and it's the first time to see Sasuke's view of all this. Yea, lets just say he's not quite as accepting as Sakura thinks he is...
Also, I cannot tell you guys how happy it makes me to reach one hundred reviews. It's crazy cool and you guys make writing this fic. so much more fun. I totally love you! -caching smile- Free hug tackles for everyone!
Also, the quick update was only because school starts on Friday! (So sad! I know!) and I felt like I needed to get another chapter up before school started! (Crying...) I can't promise anything when it comes to an update schedule, so I'm sorry in advance if it takes forever to get the next chapter up!
Warning: Cussing increased. I really have no problem with cussing, but you guys might so I just wanted to warn you.
Inspiration music: Stuff?
Beta Reader(s): Josie and the P. Cats. Mom retired. xD
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Be There To Love Me
Chapter Four
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Sasuke's Point of View
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The gardens brought refuge from the summer heat, as well as a place to enjoy the sweet smell of spring when the season was long over. Such were a few of the reasons I'd take walks in them when I couldn't find something else to do. It helped me gather my thoughts; think about the big questions.
Too bad my thoughts had already been gathered and the Hokage and his 'precious council' were currently answering the 'big questions' people always bitched about. The breeze of a coming rainstorm had taken away the summer heat and the scent of spring had successfully added a throbbing pain to my head.
Again, I enjoyed taking walks in the gardens when I couldn't find something else to do. I was about ready to find that something.
I continued my march down the pebble path, scuffing my feet to try and cover up the obnoxiously loud chirping coming from my right. I turned my head to glare at the tree from which the sound was coming and resisted throwing a rock at the birds' nest there. I frowned, latched my hands behind my back in an effort to keep my temper under control, and continued on my way with a darkened mood. Nature had always been able to piss me off in one or another.
Just like that damn Haruno did.
Yes, Haruno. I refused to call her Uchiha. That girl is about as much an Uchiha as my brother Is (my fists clenched at the very thought of him) and the hells would freeze over before I admitted the pink-haired big mouth was remotely entertaining. I could admit, however, with my dignity suffering very little, that she was not as much of an eyesore as many women I had seen. In fact, she wasn't unattractive at all.
But that observation only covered her looks. Her personality was a completely different story.
Over the last three weeks I had learned to just ignore her when she went off on her little spiels about whatever the hell she found interesting. That task was a pain in the ass and I still hadn't been able to master it completely. I suddenly had a new appreciation for Shikamaru, who always had that Yamanaka girl flitting about him. It was far more difficult to ignore someone that talkative then the sluggard made it look. I'd have to remind myself to get some tips from him later...
My path came to an end, a bench set just off the path after it branched to the left and right. I took a seat, leaning back comfortably before closing my eyes and letting the breeze ruffle my hair.
I had already made my way through the central gardens three times. The whole thing was set up in a giant square in the middle of the Hokage's palace, so needless to say there was really nothing here I hadn't seen at least a hundred times before. In fact, I had been here just yesterday with Sakura. She wouldn't shut up about the damn main hall flower arrangements, which were curtsey of her little friend's mother. She didn't even know.
She didn't know a lot of things. In many cases I'd say that ignorance is bliss and leave it at that, but she was bordering on imbecilic. I was close to smacking her when it came to how easily she had mentioned my family, and I was even closer to smacking her for making me sleep on the floor every damned night. Nothing could justify that. Absolutely nothing.
But then again, I supposed the only alternative would be to join her in bed and I really had no desire for that. The Council (hadn't even seen the bastards since a meeting I accompanied my father to 13 years ago) could screw themselves when it came to that subject. Sure, I'd marry the girl to get her country's medical supplies (did we even need the damn things?), but sleeping with her was something entirely different. No way in the hells was my simple and honest answer.
I sighed and repositioned myself. Well, at least the gardens were quiet after the birds had finally shut up.
"Hey, Bastard!"
And my silence was shattered. I tilted my head upward slightly and lifted an eyelid just enough to make out the form of one obnoxious idiot coming toward me. The birds began chirping once again and I groaned, closing my eye. Today really wasn't my day.
Naruto plopped down beside me with a heavy thud, "What do you want, dobe?"
The blond ignored my question as he belted out what he had come to say, "So, how's Sakura-chan? I saw her watching us during our training." I shrugged. "You know, she's really pretty. You think she'd have me?" I groaned. "Is that a yes then?"
I lifted my head and opened my eyes fully, "Dobe, she's already married."
He laughed that obnoxious laugh of his and replied, "Well, you're not much, Bastard. I think she might appreciate the affection of an actual personage." Wow, big words. I glared in his direction and he didn't even notice.
"Do you even know what personage means?" I asked incredulously. He frowned and remained silent as he glared at me. A sigh escaped me as I rubbed my temples in frustration. "What do you really want to know?"
The blond was silent for a few moments before answering. "I want to know how Sakura-chan is," he repeated sternly.
"She's fine."
"No," he stated flatly, "I want to know how she is. How she feels after this morning."
My frown deepened and I stood, my back facing my friend, enemy, or whatever the heck he'd labeled himself today. "As I said, she's fine."
Naruto wasn't buying it and I suddenly became annoyed with the hardheaded nature he possessed. "Fine as in what? Fine as in perfectly silent, putting a mask on whenever she's around you? 'cause she was anything but fine earlier."
"We haven't talked since, all right?" I snapped, turning back to him with narrowed eyes. "She was acting conceited and I put her in her place. There's nothing wrong with that."
"She was hurt, Sasuke-teme. She was crying when I left her."
"That only proves that she's a weak, sniveling child," I said, "It has nothing to do with me."
I could tell Naruto was preparing a snappy comeback, but Kakashi came strutting up to us. I could tell something was wrong when his usual Icha Icha Paradise novel was nowhere in sight. Kakashi never ran when he didn't have to, but I could see an edge in his step as he approached us.
"What is it?" I yelled, taking my temper out on the white haired pervert.
"Something's up..."
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Sakura's Point of View
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"You're finally awake, then?" I turned groggily toward the noise, my neck throbbing. A cloth covered my eyes, blacking out anything I could've seen. I wriggled, but my hands were tied to something warm behind my back. "Stop squirming, it's obnoxious..."
I didn't stop as panic began rising, "Where am I?" I squeaked.
The warm thing I was tied to moved, nudging me roughly in the side, "Would you stop panicking. It's not gonna help the situation."
I stilled. Whoever was talking, a woman by the tone of her voice, was obviously in the same situation I was in. "Wha-what's going on?" I stammered.
"What does it look like to you?" the woman snapped.
"I-I can't see anything with this blindfold on!"
My fellow captive laughed, a sort of barky sound. "Touché..."
The woman shifted, and I came to realize she was sitting to my left. I shifted also, feeling the cushy fabric of a futon underneath me, and grimaced when my knees, tucked under me, ached. Exactly how long had I been sitting here?
Something moved on my right and I jumped, turning my head in that direction as if I just might be able to see through the blindfold. Near my hands I felt movement, and I realized that the snappy woman to my left was not my only friend.
"Hey, are you all right?" I asked, the question directed to the person on my right.
"I'm fine." It was the woman I had been talking to before.
"Not you!"
"I-I'm f-f-fine..." came the reply. The voice was weak and scared. This girl must've been a child. "Wh-what's goin-going on?"
"What does it look like to you?"
I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh. We'd been over this before, hadn't we?
"I'm not sure. The last thing I remember was walking to the gardens, and then-" I cut off, gasping in realization.
"And then what?" Lefty asked, impatience edging her voice.
"I passed Kazekage-sama and then something hit my neck. Everything went black..."
"Are you insinuating that Gaara did something?" Lefty again.
I snapped, "Who else?
"Gaara wouldn't do something so stupid."
"And how would you know?"
"I'm his brother, you idiot."
Silence.
"You're a boy?" I asked sheepishly. A sigh came from my left, followed by a small whimper from my right.
"Yes, I'm a boy..."
"I'm sorry, it's just... well, you sound so much like a-"
"I get that a lot," the boy snapped, finishing the conversation. I lapsed into silence until the sound of a door sliding open rocked the room. I gulped, leaning backwards as much as I could.
"Hyuga?" the intruder asked.
The girl on my right fidgeted.
I couldn't place the intruders voice before the man had headed to the Hyuga person. He untied her quickly and lifted her with ease from the futon.
"Hey, where are you taking her?" I yelled in no particular direction as a cry of discomfort came from the Hyuga. Silence reigned until our captor's footsteps scuffed against the floor as he walked back toward me. His face was inches from mine (I could tell by the breath tickling my skin) when he replied, "I'm afraid you may not find out, Sakura-kun..."
I swallowed stiffly, leaning backward to create as much room as I could between me and whoever it was. It struck me, his voice sounded familiar.
"Hey, back off lech." It was Gaara's brother talking. Our captor chuckled, walking toward the door with the Hyuga girl in tow.
"Very well, Daichi-kun..."
The door slid shut with a loud snap. I could hear a few muffled cries from outside, and I wished my hands were free so that I could shut out the noise. I didn't want to know what happened next.
"Hinata-chan." was heard from the other room. Daichi stiffened, expecting the worst. It made me feel awful and I choked back tears. They were going to kill her. Hyuga Hinata was going to die...
I did not expect to hear the quick steps of small feet against the floor or the thud of an embrace. "N-neji-nii-chan...!" was whimpered by someone I presumed to be Hinata.
Our captor spoke, "Have you brought what we asked for?"
"I have it," A soft thud of something landing on a table, "What next?"
"You're free to leave."
"And what of the others?"
"One betrayal; one captive. Leave."
"N-neji-nii-chan…"
Silence for a moment, before, "Come, Hinata," and the padding of retreating footsteps. He was just leaving us...
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Daichi shrieked, trying to push himself up and failing miserably. I was on the edge of tears.
"Get us out of here you coward!" he continued. "You'll pay for this Neji-nii-chan!" He spat the last part.
Daichi tugged on the ropes again and I could feel warm liquid soaking the ropes that tied my hands. A terrible cramp was forming in my shoulder, adding to the pain my legs were causing. Daichi continued screaming his lungs out, rocking to try and loosen the ropes. The only thing that caused was an awful burning sensation around my wrists.
After half an hour I had reached the end of patience. Daichi was screaming, "Get back here you fish-faced bastard!" for the fourth time as a sigh made its way from my lips. How the hell did he even know what the man looked like? The Suna native was just as blind as I was!
"Daichi-san, would you please quiet down!" I snapped, nudging him as best I could. "The only thing you'll gain from that is the loss of your voice and my hearing!"
Daichi nudged me back, decidedly harder than I had shoved him. "At least I'm doing something! You're just sitting there like your friggin' Prince Charming is gonna show up and save your sorry ass!"
Another shove from me, "I am not! I'm keeping quiet so our psycho friend won't pull a knife on me!"
"It'd be better than just sitting here and waiting for Fate to screw us!" Another shove from Daichi.
My eyebrows furrowed and I leaned away from my male counterpart, feeling him come with me because of the binding. The loss of Hinata had added to the amount of room I had to move. "Would you just shut up!" I wailed, slamming into his side. I was hoping to hit him hard enough to make him shut his trap, at least for a second, but the force of my shove only sent us both toppling off the futon.
"Oh brilliant job, Sakura-kun..." Daichi mumbled sarcastically from underneath me. I blushed when I realized the position we were in. Our legs were tangled together, mine touching only Kami-sama knows and Daichi's head was buried in my chest. My arms were being pulled sharply to the right and they felt as if they were being pulled from their sockets. I grimaced when I heard a joint pop. "As if I wasn't already uncomfortable enough."
I rolled to the side, landing on the floor with a painful thud. Now we were side by side, my arms twisted underneath me in a way I had thought humanly impossible. Our legs had luckily become untangled and I took the chance to kick him, swelling with pride when I heard him cry out upon impact. "Would you just-"
A thud sounded a hair's width from my forehead.
"Oh damn, I missed..." someone mumbled with a sigh. Our captor had returned and had obviously just enjoyed using my head for target practice.
"Watch it," a second person warned, lacking much gusto. He obviously couldn't have cared less about us. "We need them alive."
"Yes yes, I know," the first mumbled with an underlying chuckle. "Ever Orochimaru-sama's pet..."
There was no answer except the shuffling of feet toward us. A pair of strong arms lifted me from my place on the floor, while another grabbed Daichi and hauled him up in a less gentle nature. My blindfold was removed and I was left staring almost blindly at a white and red ANBU mask.
"Enjoying your time with Daichi-kun?" the man asked. I frowned and didn't answer. He pulled a knife from the standard ANBU cloak he was wearing and I stepped back, pinching my eyes shut. Nothing happened for a few seconds and I opened one eye. His knife had been put away and I could feel that my hands were slightly more free than they had been before. I tried to tug them apart and pain went searing up my arms. My hands were still tied together but the rope that had connected Daichi and me fell limply to the floor. My eyebrows knitted.
"What the hell is going on?" Daichi, who had a deadly glare aimed in the ANBU's direction, asked the question before I could. "And what the hell was all that 'betrayal' crap about?"
The mask managed to muffle the man's laughter, "Kimimaro, you think we should inform them?" I turned to see this Kimimaro person he was talking about. He held Daichi roughly by the left forearm with less emotion on his face than I'd ever seen Sasuke manage. He said and did nothing.
The ANBU sighed, rubbing his neck in mock frustration. "Well, I certainly don't think that's the right idea. Let's see..." he paused, as if fingering through imaginary files in his head. "Uchiha Sakura and-" he chuckled, turning his attention to Daichi, "Sabaku no Daichi. Last time I saw you, you were quite the beautiful young lady." He said lady in a sickening way that made my insides turn even before confusion overtook me.
"Bastard!" Daichi snapped, charging for the ANBU. With his hands tied he was at a disadvantage, and therefore the man merely sidestepped to miss Daichi's attack. Daichi skidded to a halt and whipped around, heading back toward the masked man. I grimaced as the man's fist came in contact with Daichi's stomach, causing him to gag air. His green eyes softened and his head lolled as consciousness left him.
I tried to run forward but the Kimimaro fellow grabbed the back of my neck and dragged me behind him toward the door as if I were simply a very lifelike marionette. The ANBU followed with a limp Daichi -or whoever it was- draped over his shoulder.
I was sure a smile lit his face from under that mask of his. "Sakura-kun, don't look so angry. Temari-kun will be fine once she wakes." I grimaced as Kimimaro flung me in front of him and hoisted me up on his shoulder, mimicking his partner. The boy...girl...whatever or whoever it was, bounced on the ANBU's shoulder as Dai- 'Temari's' captor shifted her higher, where it was easier for him to grip her.
Kimimaro shifted me as well and I could feel his hand on my butt. I kicked him. He grunted and repositioned his grip. I lifted my head so I could look directly toward the masked man following behind. My eyebrows furrowed as I asked, "What the hell is going on?" We turned a corner.
He chuckled, "We're using you and your little friends as bait. We need information about Konohagakure and you three were the easiest to get a hold of. Plus, we figured your men would miss you." Well that was blunt.
I snorted. My man had probably been the one to pay these guys off just so he could get rid of me.
"You look distressed Sakura-kun. What's the matter?" I frowned at his sarcastic concern.
Another corner was turned and I surveyed my surroundings. This place looked like any other, despite the fact that almost no light was coming from outside. I supposed night had come. The dim lamps did nothing but cause shadows to dance down the halls like specters.
"How long have we been here?" I asked, turning back to the ANBU. He shrugged and answered, "Dawn is coming."
I sighed. That long, huh?
Kimimaro halted and I saw his partner do the same. My guard flung me from his shoulder, pulled my back to his chest and placed a blade across my throat.
"He-hey! What are you-"
The blade pricked my skin and I felt a small trickle of blood run to meet my kimono. "Shut up."
Simple enough command. I could do that.
The door before us was opened by the ANBU, who hauled Temari in. Kimimaro followed, blade still against my neck.
Waiting inside was one very pissed off Kazekage.
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I've figured out one of the things that was gnawing unconsciously on my brain. I've fixed this 'thing' (located in chapter one) and am happy to say the story flows much easier now. I figure you guys don't really feel like wasting your time going all the way back to chapter one just to read the changes (I wouldn't either ;P) so I took the liberty of posting them below. If you've read chapter one since 8-2-06 ignore my ranting and read on to the next chapter! xD Or, since there are no other chapters, use your saved time to review! ;D
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And so I started my adventure. I came to realize earlier that the place I was now living, the Hokage Palace, was not just one large building. In fact, the palace was made up of three almost entirely separate sections.
The first was the main section, where the Central Garden, Courtyard and Hokage's Council's room and board were located. Past the Gardens, across a large open air walkway, loomed the main building, where the Hokage himself lived. It was quite a sight to behold.
The other two sections were kept separate from the hustle and bustle of the Hokage's dealings because access to each was limited to one walkway. Once one passed the rear courtyard (which was directly in front of the main building) two large pathways branched to the left and right. I was yet to find out what the pathway to the left concealed, but the pathway to the right led to the Uchiha Section.
I quite liked the layout, because the busy atmosphere of the main section was chaotic and noisy. The Uchiha Section allowed for a separate existence. The only problem was that no Uchiha but Sasuke was around to enjoy it. I supposed his family was away, but the fact that they had missed their own son's wedding (arranged or not) made my jaw tighten. Until I remembered my own parents weren't there with me either...
The rooms in the Uchiha Section were identical, to the point that each of the rugs (which were indeed alike) were placed exactly four feet, seven 1/2 inches from the east wall, and six feet, six 1/4 inches from the North wall. Each room had a separate bathhouse, one large futon, a changing area, and two pieces of art, each with the odd Uchiha family fan painted on them. It was bland, to say the least.
By the third room I had explored I was already bored, by the sixth room I was ready to call in a decorator, and by the eighth room I finally realized what was missing. I was yet to see a portrait anywhere. They simply weren't here.
The fact that no portraits were to be found both interested and befuddled me. Uchiha Sasuke didn't seem like much of a personable guy, and the subject of family obviously bothered him, but this was insane. It was like this house was meant for one thing only: sleep.
As I thought on the subject, letting out a yawn as I did, I realized that that was more than likely the case. Someone as important and exceedingly ill tempered as Uchiha Sasuke would not be home as much as any normal person, and somehow I just couldn't picture him kicking back and relaxing in front of a roaring fire when he did have the option to be home. If the absent Uchihas were anything like their son, I presumed they must feel the same.
"Uchiha-kyou (1), have you lost your way?" I turned to see a young woman bowing in my direction. I frowned. I was an Uchiha now, wasn't I?
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And so end the corrections. I'm sorry for the confusion! I have, since writing chapter one, organized my thoughts (by way of lovely little blueprints) and am now back on the right track! -triumphed pose- Hope it didn't piss anyone off too much and I also hope that you've enjoyed reading Chapter Four of Be There To Love Me! You readers are totally awesome, and it makes me extremely happy to think all those awesome peoples enjoy reading my work! If I owned Naruto, I'd totally write all you in with kick ass ninjistics! xD
Until next time,
Acoustical Trance