OK! 3rd chappie is here. Sorry for the wait but I started a new Inuyasha story. Gomen. Oh, go here: http://w w w . e v I a t I o n/23785403/?qo70&qNeji&qhboost3Apopular+agesigma3A24h+agescale3A5 It is a Neji pic, it is SO funny. remove spaces
Disclaimer: own nothing
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In theory, carrying a small child across the country was a sweet, kind idea. In practice it was painful, tedious, and tiring.
This was a lesson Sakura learned quickly while carrying Niya to Konohagakure. Even with switching off with Tenten and Neji with frequent stops the days just seemed to get longer and more painful as it went on. The child was getting tired too. She was too young for a trip like the one she was taking. Shikamaru had told her that, but she hadn't listened. Even now, though, she didn't regret it. How could she? She was just a little girl, she wanted to protect her. That may be the reason that she developed a protective streak. Well more than a streak.
"Ow!"
"Ah! Sasuke! I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you!!"
"Ow…"
"Oh Sasuke. I didn't see you."
"Is it normal to elbow someone in the face without knowing who they are?"
"No. I'm sorry." she looked at his face. When he had come up behind her while she was at the river she had hit him before she turned around when he touched her back. She now looked at his nose.
"You're bleeding."
"Like that's rare."
"I hate it when you're in pain." Sasuke waited a moment before pulling away from her fingers. He touched his nose and looked at her out of the side of his eyes.
"Right." she said, understanding his wordless statement. "You're always in pain, aren't you Sasuke?"
"I think its ok now." he said, touching his nose. She nodded and sat down, he followed her. She lay on the bank and stared up at the sky.
"Sasuke. Why did you do it? Why did you want to kill her?"
"…Why does someone shoot a wounded horse? It's not fair to keep her alive. It's painful to watch."
There was a pause. "I know." she finally whispered. He glanced back at her. Her hand was out, beckoning him. He glanced at the sleeping bags.
"Someone might see."
"Let them." He came forward a bit, allowing her to grip his shoulder and pull him down. She pulled his shoulder down next to her and placed her hands behind his head. She pulled him down against her chest. "What are you doing?"
"Just stop thinking for a sec. Lay there and be quiet." he did. After the first initial surprise he found it wasn't so bad. Sakura's chest was soft and he found that laying on her like that, not thinking, was very relaxing. He closed his eyes and put an arm on either side of her. Before he realized it, he was dozing.
"Sakura." Suddenly Sasuke was on his knees and Sakura was sitting up. They stared in horror at Neji. Sakura with wide eyes and a pounding heart. Sasuke with anger in his black eyes and his face barely neutral. "She's cold." he murmured, talking about Niya. Sakura nodded and looked at Sasuke, who still stared at Neji. She got the message by the way they stared at each other, and not her. It was time for the men to talk. She stood and went back to Niya, slipping into the sleeping bag with the still sleeping child.
"I told you to watch yourself. You woke Shikamaru up. He's not happy."
"Hn." Sasuke replied. Neji's eyes narrowed.
"Don't 'hn' me. This is serious. Sakura is the village favorite. You are the village outcast. This cannot work."
"This?"
"You. And her."
"Her…" Sasuke spoke slowly.
"You can't be together."
"Who said we were together?"
"Then what is she?"
"A girl."
"Just another girl, Uchiha?"
"Should she be anything more?"
"If you had a conscience. She's been in love with you since you were 7."
"She had a crush."
"She stayed true to it."
"Why should I have to pay for her persistence?"
"Because you should feel responsible for it. She took crap for you, Uchiha."
"I didn't ask her to."
"Ok, fine. I don't care. It doesn't matter to me whether you give a crap about her-"
"Who said I didn't give a crap?"
"…"
"I care. I'm paying closer attention to her that anyone else."
"Knowing you, that's not saying much. What do you want, Sasuke?"
"What do I want? I want power. I want death. And I want my clan restored."
"You…want a child?"
"…Yeah. I want a kid. Someday."
"Then you're using Sakura-"
"I don't know what you think, Neji, but I'm not using her."
"You don't want her child?"
"No."
"Not good enough?"
"I wouldn't give her an Uchiha as a child."
"Then-"
"I haven't slept with her, Neji." Sasuke stated calmly and suddenly. Neji was silent for a moment, in slight shock without showing it.
"Then what are you doing with her?" Neji's calm was quickly slipping.
"…" there was a long pause and when Sasuke spoke it was slow, deliberate. "Anything …she wants."
"What?"
"If she wants to kiss me, I'll let her. If she wants to lay with me on the bank, I'll let her. I don't care what she does, as long as she doesn't try to sleep with me."
"That's disgusting, Uchiha."
"In case you haven't noticed, she likes being with me. It makes her happy. Just like she's trying to help that kid. She thinks she can save me."
"You don't want to be saved, do you Uchiha?"
"No."
"Then you're using her." Sasuke stood.
"Believe what you want." then he was gone, going for his sleeping bag. Neji watched him slip into it, lying right next to Sakura. He would be sure to watch him.
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"I am not sleeping in the rain!!" Tenten cried once more, staring up at the cloudy sky.
"What do you expect us to do, then? Walk into enemy territory, hauling a 6-year old Kumokagurkian, and say 'Hey, how ya doin', can we have a room? And don't worry, us enemy shinobi won't kill you all in your sleep'?"
"Of course not." Tenten snorted indignantly. "We just send Sakura in with the baby."
"'NO'" the group said together. Tenten sweat dropped.
"Why not? It could work. No one would suspect innocent little Sakura and Niya."
"Then you go Tenten."
" I can't. I'm female."
"And Sakura is…?"
"With a child. A female, asking for a large room, all alone? They'll think I'm a whore!"
"…True. But Sakura can't get two rooms alone."
"Make Sasuke get the other. He looks normal." The group looked at Tenten. "What? Neji has white eyes, I'd look like a whore, Niya's too young, and Shikamaru looks like a pineapple." Shikamaru glared. "Sasuke may look, well, like an Uchiha, but his clothes are regular, and he has black hair which is normal for a japanese person. If he changes his shirt so you can't see the insignia, gives us his holsters, and walks in, he'd look normal! And he's better at blending in with unfamiliar villages than we are. At least, he won't act like they're all enemies."
"Don't assume I've never been to that village." All eyes turned to Sasuke, who had been silent this entire time. "I've been. Right after Orochimaru. I stumbled into this town. I had no where else to go. So I stayed until I was healed, and then I moved on. That was 2 years ago, but someone might recognize me."
"But that also means you know your way around!" Tenten protested, not ready to give up on her idea. All faces turned to Shikamaru, who was thinking hard.
"I think we should do what Tenten suggested. You've changed Sasuke, I'll count on that. Don't draw too much attention to yourselves and be careful."
Sakura sighed and nodded. "You too." With that the group dispersed to get ready.
Sakura and Tenten made Niya look presentable, brushing her hair and washing her up. Sakura pulled off her headband and gave it to Tenten, then brushed off her clothes and tried to make herself look presentable.
Meanwhile Neji and Sasuke switched shirts. Neji could just put his jacket over Sasuke's shirt and Neji's black, Chinese-style shirt was better for Sasuke's job. When Sasuke took off his shirt, Neji caught a peak at his back. It had been a large and widely believed rumor that Uchiha Sasuke was covered in scars underneath his clothing. How it started no one knew. Looking at Sasuke now, Neji knew it was true.
Soon the three people were ready and headed for the town. Sasuke stayed behind Sakura so they wouldn't raise suspicion, and the others followed after a while.
Once they were in the town Sakura was surprised to see the mass of people around her. She felt Sasuke come up close for a moment and mumbled, "It's a festival. Just pretend you're a tourist." Sakura nodded stiffly and, towing Niya by the hand, headed for a rundown hotel, intent on keeping a low profile. But Sasuke grabbed her arm and spun her around towards another hotel. Not wanting to ruin their cover by protesting, she went for it.
"Hello. How are you? We'd like a large room, please." Sakura said sweetly, smiling at the man across the desk. He nodded and smiled. He was an elderly man and obviously liked young, adorable Sakura and Niya. "Well hello there, little one! We only have one room left, with 2 queen beds. Enjoy your stay!" Sakura smiled tightly and nodded. She walked outside and started towards the apartment house. (it was jutting out of the side of the lobby building, you have to go up the stares to the porch and walk along it to find your room) On the walk she scooped up Niya in her arms and stroked her head, never stopping. People walking around would never realize that this simple act was a signal that something had gone wrong and to meet her in the room.
"How are we all going to fit in this tiny room?"
"This was the last room. I had no choice."
"It wouldn't have been a problem if Sasuke had let Sakura choose the other."
"Bad memories, Uchiha?"
"Shut up, Neji. I stayed there while I was being healed. There was a woman who ran it. She liked me. She would remember."
"What'd you do with her?" he smirked, tightening the bandage he had put on his forehead (covering his curse).
"I thought I told you to shut up."
"Stop it!!" Tenten yelled, standing. "That's enough. We'll just stay in this room."
"There's only 2 beds." Shikamaru noted.
"We'll share." Tenten decided. "But one thing we can't share…" She whipped around and bolted for the bathroom. Grabbing the door handle she yanked it open and someone gave a yelp. Tenten looked in the bathroom and saw that Sakura was already in there, starting to draw a bath with Niya sitting on the counter.
"Oops, sorry. Giving Niya a bath, Sakura-chan? I'll help!" Sakura smiled and accepted the help. They both put Niya in the warm water, making bubbles with some of the shampoo. The girl squealed happily as she splashed the water and let Sakura and Tenten wash and play with her hair.
Outside the boys were switching shirts and Shikamaru was wondering where everyone would sleep, simultaneously looking through the phonebook for some food, since no one else could work one. Suddenly Sakura walked out of the bathroom and smiled at Neji. "Neji-kun? Can I have your shirt?"
"No."
"I need it for Niya! She doesn't have anything to wear and I don't want to put her in the same clothes! They're dirty and she should be able to sleep in clean clothes. Please?"
"No." Sakura humphed angrily and turned around, stomping into the bathroom (though not too hard, lest she put holes in the floor). They wondered why it was so easy to refuse her, that is until the bathroom door opened a moment later. But this time Sakura didn't come out. Tenten did. She set her eyes on Neji. "Hyuga Neji!! I have a bone to pick with you. Why can't Niya use your shirt?! You go into her town and orphan her and drag her halfway across the country, and you can't even let her wear your shirt for a while?! That's so cruel! Do you even have a heart!!? That poor little girl! You don't even need your shirt! You can wear your jacket!! You are such a JERK!! I can't believe this! Is this what you're going to be like if we ever have kids?! Or are you just prejudice against other children!?!" Neji was ignoring her now though, because he was unhappily undoing his jacket. Unable to listen to her whining anymore he handed her the black shirt and she smiled and grabbed it. "Thank you. Though you could have just given it to Sakura." She pouted cutely, then smiled and kissed his cheek. Neji watched her walk away and put his jacket back on.
"Why didn't you just give her the shirt?"
"…" Neji turned his back to the guys so no one could see his slight blush. He would never admit that he thought Tenten was adorable when she was mad.
A few minutes later Niya walked out. She was in her underwear and Neji's black shirt that reached her knees. Tenten had placed one of her ribbons around Niya's middle and it now looked like a little kimono. Niya was smiling happily.
She crawled up onto one of the beds and sat cross-legged there. The girls took places next to her. "So you guys figured out how we'll sleep?"
"Yeah. We'll split up." Shikamaru announced. They watched him curiously. "Sakura, Niya and Sasuke on one bed, Neji and Tenten on the other. I'll sleep on the cot in the closet."
"No." Sasuke and Neji said simultaneously.
"No?" Shikamaru questioned.
"No, the Uchiha isn't sleeping with Sakura." Neji said.
"I agree with the ass." Sasuke said.
"Look you two, this is the only way it's going to work. Sakura and Sasuke have slept together since they were genin and Niya won't sleep with anyone but Sakura. We can't split up by gender because us guys aren't sleeping together. Neji and Tenten are going out so they don't care. Since my girlfriends at home (where we should be) I can deal with the cot. Anyway, it's this or you two are sleeping on the porch."
Neji and Sasuke glared at Shikamaru, then eachother. Without another word they plopped down on opposite beds. A few moments later there was a knock on the door. Sakura answered it and grinned. "FOOD!!" She grabbed the chinese food containers and ran into the room. Shikamaru paid the man and slammed the door in his face.
For the next couple hours the group greatly enjoyed their dinner. Then it was time for bed.
Sasuke removed his boots and, analy, placed them in a straight line at the end of the bed.
Sakura pulled off her skirt, keeping her small shorts on, and took off her boots and gloves. She removed the ribbon from Niya's stomach and used it to hold her hair up so it wouldn't get in the way.
Neji removed his jacket and boots, along with the bandage around his forehead.
Tenten removed various ribbons and hidden weapons. She let her hair fall from the ponytail she kept it in and took off her boots (pausing to remove the hidden dagger).
Shikamaru set up his cot and took out his own hair. He removed his vest and boots.
They all turned out the lights and snuggled into their beds. All except Sasuke, that is. He remained awake and on the other side of Niya. His foot wiggled beneath the blanket.
"Sasuke?" her voice startled him, but not out of his mask.
"What?" he said gruffly.
She kicked his foot, "Stop that. What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing." He lied.
She rose an eyebrow. "It'll be bad if you wake this child up."
Sasuke shrugged. "What's wrong, Sasuke?" Sakura asked.
"..." he looked at Niya to keep from answering. Her face was buried into Sakura's flat stomach, her small arms wrapped around Sakura's waist. Her fingers grasped the back of Sakura's shirt. "You're not annoyed? Being clung to like that?" Sakura smiled.
"She's just cold. She'll cling to anything warm." Sakura looked up at Sasuke through her eyelashes, then gave a small smile. She gently unwound the girls arms from her waist and turned her tiny body around. She touched Niya's hands to Sasuke's front. Sasuke's eyes widened in horror as he watched the Niya's fingers grasp his front. She pulled close to him, clutching him tightly. Sasuke simply watched her in fright. Sakura smiled and pet the child's head. Niya's face turned up to Sasuke, eyes still closed and flicked her head. Her loose pony tail pulled out from beneath Sakura's body.
Sasuke froze, staring at the child, and his breath hitched in his throat. As if the child was hugging his breath right out.
Sakura stared at him, whispering his name. His head snapped up to look at her. He shook his head, taking a breath. "I'm fine."
"What? What happened?"
"Nothing." He placed a shaking hand on Niya's small back. Sakura frowned and nodded, not pushing the issue. She pulled Niya back to her. Sasuke stared at the little girl as Sakura held her tightly.
Long, black hair hanging in a loose ponytail. Pale skin over a sharp, slightly angular face. A few long strands of hair, untamable, that fell over her face. Thin, naturally sculpted, eyebrows. Behind her eyelids Sasuke knew there were deep, brown eyes. They were dark. Darker than brown eyes should be, but still brown. Now Sasuke knew why he was so uneasy around her. She looked just like him. They could be twins if he was born female. Sasuke shook softly, covering his eyes with a shaking hand. It was impossible...wasn't it? Sasuke felt bile rise in his throat.
In the time Sakura had been borrowing Neji's sleeping bag and sleeping next to Sasuke she had gotten used to seeing him in the morning. So when she opened her eyes and he was gone she was quite alarmed. Sakura sat up, looking around the room. Sasuke walked out of the bathroom a moment later and relieved her worries. Until he came closer and she noticed that his hand was pushed against his stomach. He was slightly green and she could see he had removed his shirt to be able to push against himself. He noticed that she was awake and wouldn't meet her eyes as he slid into the bed next to her, back facing her. She glowered and slid a fingertip down his spine. A shiver slid down his spine after the finger and he glanced over his shoulder to glare at her. "What were you doing in the bathroom?"
"...Nothing."
"Did you throw up Sasuke?"
"..." his silence was answer enough.
"Did something make you sick?"
"It was just another night."
"Did you...have a nightmare? Was it Itachi?"
"Just go back to sleep!!" He rose his voice and had to glance around to make sure he didn't wake anyone. Sakura glared. "Fine. Suffer." She closed her eyes and Sasuke turned away from her. But she couldn't get him out of her mind. She touched his back once more and came close to his back. She whispered to the back of his head because he wouldn't turn around to look at her. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. I don't want you to suffer. I don't want you to be hurt. Please, Sasuke. Please tell me what's wrong. If I can't help, maybe I can understand. I just...don't want you to be alone when we're so close." He glanced back at her.
"I am alone, Sakura. Please don't try to share in my pain." He said nothing more, despite her prodding. She layed back on her pillow, closed her eyes, and tried to wait until morning.
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ok, this chapter's bad. You don't have to tell me. I'm just gonna go hit my head off something now.
