Chapter 4: Breaking the Habit
Grumble...shift...'Hn'...repeat. Sakura rolled her eyes and continued to read her book. Her sea foam green eyes scanned the page, taking in every bit of information. She shifted in the large couch and laid her head against the arm rest. Grumble...shift...'Hn'...repeat. Pausing, she closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. With a deep breath, she mentally told herself to relax and opened her eyes. Grumble...shift..'Hn'...re-
"Shut up or I will drug your annoying ass," she said through clenched teeth.
Sasuke's onyx eyes fell on the pink haired woman and he snorted, "Bitchy..."
She sneered at him before continuing to read the hardcover book in her hands. It had been two days since the Godaime had ordered Sakura to watch over the recovered Uchiha. By doing so, Sakura had to spend fourteen hours, her usual work hours, with him in her office. Giving her two hours to herself, and eight to sleep, not even. Sakura sighed and looked over at Sasuke who was currently glaring at the wall behind her or at...her?
She frowned, "Quit staring at me."
He snorted, "Gladly."
A stupefied look was the only response to the comment as the green eyed kunoichi slowly turned her attention back to her book. He forced back a chuckle and averted his gaze from her to the window. Sakura stood and stretched causing her simple, coral colored tank top to ride up. She sighed and flipped her long pink hair over her shoulder before pulling it up into a ponytail. He blinked a couple of times at her which caught her attention.
"What?"
"Where are you going?"
"Out to get us some lunch," she breathed and looked out the window to frown, "How can it be raining?! It was so pretty outside earlier."
He shook his head and laid back on the opposite couch. She cursed under her breath and looked around slowly. His eyes narrowed at her as he caught his surname mixed in with the obscenities spewing out of her pretty mouth. The pink haired girl mumbled something as she tossed a few throw pillows into the air, like she was looking for something.
Sasuke grumbled, "Why don't you calm down?"
"Why don't you shut up?" she sneered back at him, "I'm going to go to lunch with Ino actually...if I can find my damn jacket..."
The Uchiha rolled his eyes, "Check the closet...bakamono..."
She blinked at him once before turning and swinging open the cherry wood door of the closet. There hanging from a wire hanger that would make Mommy Dearest proud, was her dark red jacket, the white Haruno clan symbol stitched onto the back. Again, she blinked before turning to look at Sasuke.
"How did-"
"You put it there this morning baka."
She shook her head, "Right. So," she grabbed the troublesome jacket, "do you want me to bring anything back for you?"
"Hn."
"That's not an answer."
She placed one hand on her hip as she raised an eyebrow at him, tapping her foot against the floor impatiently. He looked away from her and out the window.
"Hn."
Rolling her eyes, she said, "Well, you're going to be locked in. So, if you need to go to the bathroom or something, go before I leave," he was obviously ignoring her, seeing as he was looking mindlessly out the window, "That means now. I'm leaving now. So scoot."
Still he ignored her. She growled and threw on her jacket gracelessly, "Whatever, suit yourself Sasuke."
He smirked slightly and she raised an eyebrow, "What?"
"That's the first time you've called me by my name in three days," he looked at her with his too familiar confident smirk, "I'd say you're getting soft on me Sakura. Maybe old habits do die hard..." he chuckled softly and raised a suggestive eyebrow at her.
Sakura's face flushed red as she turned away from him to stomp out the room. Slamming the door behind her, she stomped down the hallway until she reached the nurse's center. Sighing, she placed her hand on the desk and leaned her head against.
"Where is Ino?" she asked monotonously.
The nurse smiled sympathetically at her, "Tending to Kiba-kun."
"Thanks."
"No problem Haruno-san."
Sakura walked lazily to the dog-boy's designated room and made herself known by a small knock to the door before walking in. She smiled at Ino who was currently checking Kiba's vitals and sat down in the chair beside his bed. Kiba looked over lazily at her, the absence of his leather jacket and Konoha forehead protector taking a surprisingly big toll on his appearance.
"Yo," he said hoarsely.
"Hi," she smiled back and looked down at Akamaru who had made himself comfortable on the linoleum floor, "How are you feeling?"
"Groggy, confused, uncomfortable, basically; I feel like shit," he grinned sheepishly at her, his fangs glinting in the brightly lit room.
She frowned, "I'm sorry to hear that Kiba, is there anything I can do?"
His grin broadened, "Get me the hell outta here."
She giggled lightly, "I wish I could but I can't. Not till your wounds are fully healed."
A frown took the place of his toothy grin, "Damn mission, had to be so troublesome. Aw man, now I feel like that lazy son of a bitch Nara boy."
Sakura laughed, "Well, lunch should be brought up to you soon. Ino and I are heading out. Feel better."
"You bet."
She smiled, "Bye Akamaru."
Bending down, she gave him a soft pat on his head. Straightening up, she gave them both a small wave before following Ino out of the room.
xXxXxXxXx
"So Forehead-girl, how's everything with the ice prince?" Ino asked with a lopsided smile.
"Horrible...did I tell you what happened?"
"No..." Ino replied, looking thoroughly confused.
Sakura's mouth made a small 'o', "That's right...How is your head?"
"Fine actually, no problems at all. Now spill, what happened?"
Sakura started from the beginning, from the scene in the hospital room that first day to what had happened only thirty minutes ago. She took a deep breath after finished her story and sat back to relax her shoulders.
Ino gaped at her, "HE WHAT?!"
Sakura rolled her eyes, "Ino, it's not that big a deal. I expected much worse. I mean, I'm lucky he didn't kill me, he could've, in a split second."
"LUCKY?! ARE YOU KIDDIN' ME?! HE'S THE LUCKY ONE! IF I WERE YOU, I WOULD'VE KILLED HIM IN HIS SLEEP!!!!"
She laughed, "Ino..."
"Don't 'Ino' me Sakura!! He is such a jackass!!"
"You're just noticing that?"
Ino smirked as she simmered down, "No, I just kept it from you all these years so I wouldn't spoil your little fantasies."
Sakura quirked an eyebrow, "Little fantasies?"
"Yeah, you know, the ones where there are a hundred pink haired Uchihas running around with sharp kunai, stabbing random people in the ass or something."
Sakura's jaw dropped open with a small laugh, before she was able to respond a loud shrill echoed throughout the village. She stopped cold, Ino doing the same; the warning siren. Ino jumped up and watched as the rest of the villagers and nins ran out of the restaurant and to their respectable houses or jobs.
"Ino..." Sakura looked at Ino fearfully, "Invasion?
"We need to get to the hospital," Ino said shakily and quickly grabbed her purse.
Sakura nodded and grabbed her jacket to sprint after Ino who was ahead of her. She shook her head, trying to clear it. What was happening? Has something happened to the Godaime? 'No,' Sakura said to herself with another shake of her head. Her master wouldn't be taken down so easily. With a leap, she caught up with her blonde companion. 'I have to get the hospital...it needs to go under a lock down, only I can issue a lock down...' Cursing herself mentally, she noted that she left her phone in her office and took her pager. 'What is happening?! I have to-Sasuke!' Her eyes widened as through a crowd of villagers, just simple villagers, a kunai whizzed by her ear.
"Ino!"
The blue-eyed nin stopped in her tracks, "I know, I saw it."
Sakura did the same and looked around as the streets cleared, the shrill siren still echoing in her ears. She closed her eyes and concentrated.
"Sakura, hurry up," another couple kunai flew past them.
"Shut up pig," Sakura mumbled back, 'Below?' she looked down, 'No, right?' she turned to her right, 'No, left? No...' She smirked, "Well then," she grabbed four kunai out of her pack, "Above!"
She threw them into the air towards a grocery store rooftop, a black blur descended from it before landing on the ground, a few feet from her. She got into a fighting stance and raised an eyebrow at the man in front of her.
"Who are you?" she asked in a strong voice.
The man gave her a toothy grin, "Mmm, pushy, not what I expected of such a beautiful cherry blossom."
She glared fiercely at him, "Who the hell are you? Answer me."
"A friend of a friend you might say or how 'bout a teammate of an...ex-teammate!"
Her eyes widened but she kept her cool, "Ino, go to the hospital, now. You know what to do."
Ino gave her an unsure look before nodding and taking off. The man laughed and began to circle around the pink haired kunoichi like a tiger would its prey. She eyed him warily and reached down to grab another few kunai from her pack. He smirked and stopped walking to stretch his arms behind his head.
"You are kinda pretty," he said with a sigh, "Don't know about the wide forehead though, you grow into it or something?"
She snorted, "Nice to know he talked about me."
"You're not the only one he's mentioned."
"Didn't think I was," she grunted and flung the kunai his way.
He dodged each of them and landed a kick in her stomach, only to find it was a shadow clone. Growling, he landed on the ground and reached his hand back to grab what he thought was the real Sakura. Bringing her in front of him, he grasped her throat and lifted her off of the ground. She coughed as she clawed at his hand, 'This is way too familiar...' Jutting out her knee, it hit him straight in the groin causing him to let her go. She landed on her behind on the ground before doing a back flip to land a few feet from him.
"What do you want in Konoha?" she growled as she secretly began to channel chakra to her fist.
"I think you already know."
"You can't have him!" she barked, "He doesn't want to go back!"
At this the man laughed, "Now, what gave you that idea?"
Her eyes widened and she froze before shaking her head, "No...he-" she cut herself off. With a wave of fury, she slammed her chakra charged fist into the ground. The clay ground crumbled and avalanched toward the unsuspecting man. He yelled as the rocks came raining down on him and was buried from shoulders down in rubble. She smiled at him before heading off to the hospital.
xXxXxXxXx
Ino grunted as she dodged a punch from the ninja and threw her leg up to kick him in the side of his head. He growled as he caught her leg and flipped her over his shoulder so that she crashed into the wall behind him. She hit the wall with a thud and stood shakily. With a grunt she charged towards him, raising her fist, she jumped back when something or someone was suddenly in front of her. She blinked when she noticed why exactly she was staring into a red swirl against green fabric.
"NARA SHIKAMARU!!! WHAT DO YOU THING YOU ARE DOING?!!!" she screamed at his back.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes lazily, "What does it look like, you troublesome woman?"
She hit his back roughly, "Look at me when you are speaking to me!"
"I'm not in the position to look at you, seeing that if I turn my back, he would probably be able to kill me."
She shut her mouth before beginning to step next to the chestnut haired boy but his arm shot out to stop her. The blonde haired woman looked at the arm questionably and then up at him to see that his eyes were narrowed at her.
"What the hell are you doing?" he said lowly.
She stared at him confusedly, "Eh? What does it look like? You're in no condition to fight. Alone anyway."
"You aren't either."
Ino stopped cold and glared at him, "Shi-"
"Ino," he said seriously, "I'm serious, stay out of it."
She backed down, "But if things get bad, I'm jumping in."
"Are you done?!" yelled the man in front of them.
Shikamaru looked at him, "Yep, now..."
Was it good? Bad? Boring? Awesome? Haha, please review! Again, I need a beta!!