Title: The Mission From Hell
Author: JackieLupin
Disclaimer: Kishimoto-sama owns all!
Rating: Light R for suggestive language, romance, swearing, and battle scenes.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THIS STORY: See previous chapters. :D
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CHAPTER NINE
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"Shikamaru!"
"Is he going to be-"
"What's wrong with him?!"
"Kami, how did this-"
"...shut up, dobe! You're not helping-"
"Nara, wake up!"
"We have...healers at the Hospital..."
"...needs medical attention..."
"Sakura...not enough chakra... rest..."
"I'll do it... she'll sleep..."
"..."
"Sasuke..."
-
It had been forty nine hours since Maeno Montaro was killed and all the mercenary shinobi from Sound working under him had fled. Forty five hours since Team 7 and the jounin squad were moved into the Iwate Hospital near the Eastern Gate by Igarashi-san and his people.
It had been forty three hours since Sakura had awoken from the sleeping jutsu Kakashi placed upon her frantic form earlier. She had instantly scrambled to Shikamaru's side despite the opposition of a very stubborn Naruto.
It had been forty one hours since she quelled the internal bleeding in his lungs.
It had been forty hours since she had completely spent her chakra attempting to heal the damage done to his back and inner organs.
It had been thirty hours since she had woken up to find herself back in her own bedroll with Sasuke asleep beside her in a chair. Touched though she had been, Shikamaru's body was still in danger of failing.
It had been twenty six hours since all the muscle covering Shikamaru's back had been knitted together, both from Sakura's medical chakra and the natural processes of healing.
It had been twenty hours since Shikamaru woke briefly to grin at Naruto, Kiba, Neji, Lee and Sakura as they smiled down at him in relief.
And ten hours later in the late afternoon, Sakura quietly entered the quiet hospital room that housed Shikamaru. Due to the delicate nature of his wounds and the severity of his condition, Shikamaru had been granted a private hospital room to allow him to recuperate in peace. The window was open and a cool breeze filtered in, carrying along the faint sound of birdsong in the waning hours of the day. Sakura inhaled deeply, glad that the stale, biting smell of hospital had not infiltrated this room.
Glancing down at the occupant of the bed, she was happy to see that he was resting quietly. Shikamaru no longer resembled the ghost he had when Igarashi found them and brought them to the Iwate hospital; his usual peachy color had returned to his skin. Sakura opened his chart that she had procured from one of the nurses and read through the information one last time before snapping it shut. The wound to his back, though dangerously close to his spinal cord, had missed by inches. It appeared as if he had been run through with a katana, but wracking her brain for exactly when that had happened proved fruitless. No one else remembered how he got the wound either.
Sakura sat down on the bed gently, not wanting to wake him. She gathered chakra in her hand and touched Shikamaru's shoulder; her chakra gently traveled into his body towards his back. The damage had been extensive; though the blade went in smoothly, it had been ripped out haphazardly. The new muscle and tissue that Sakura had been forced to regenerate for Shikamaru's body was still growing and expanding. The Nara genius would be forced to train only lightly or risk destroying the muscles in his back.
At the moment though, Shikamaru appeared perfectly healthy. Now all he needed was time to recuperate and regain enough strength to make the journey home to Konoha.
Covering a yawn, Sakura brushed past the medic who appeared in the doorway to assess Shikamaru's condition and nodded. "He's fine," she whispered tiredly, her mind set on finding her way through the corridors to the spare apartment in the hospital that had been granted for Team 7 and Shikamaru's team. Usually utilized for families with a loved one in the hospital, the apartment suite now served Sakura and six rowdy shinobi.
The moment she opened the door she almost wished she hadn't. Lee, Kiba and Neji were squeezed together on the couch with Akamaru sprawled across their laps; Neji in particular looked thunderous as Lee yelled at the movie playing on the tiny TV. The volume was up so high that it was a wonder none of the medics had come around to tell them off!
Wondering what her own team was up to, Sakura glanced towards the kitchen. There was Naruto, wrestling with a box of instant ramen. Suppressing a snort, she looked around for Sasuke. The Uchiha was nowhere in sight. Sakura felt disappointment flood her. Don't be stupid, Sakura, she told herself quickly, Just because he isn't here doesn't mean he is avoiding you. Still, she couldn't help but feel her spirits drop a little. She had been hoping, now that Maeno was dead and Shikamaru was going to be okay, that they would have time to talk, just one on one. But it didn't look like an opportunity was going to present itself soon.
"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called to her over the TV, taking his eyes off of the cooking ramen to see her entrance, "Want some ramen?!"
"No, thanks," she laughed, leaning up against the counter to watch him attempt to cook his dinner, "Where is Kakashi and Sasuke?"
"Groceries. And the teme said he needed fresh air, so he went to help."
"Ah."
There was silence for a few moments, broken only by the obnoxious noises Lee was making from the living room and the bubbling of the boiling water.
"I can't believe it's over already," Naruto said, looking over at her, "The mission. I mean, I thought Maeno would be... well, tougher."
Sakura frowned but nodded. "Yeah, you're right... It doesn't feel like it's over. The mission doesn't feel... finished. I mean, we returned Iwate to Igarashi-san, Kabuto and Maeno are both dead... It ended so quickly. Not that I'm complaining, I'm glad it's over."
Naruto laughed and slung his arm around her. "Me too. Kami I miss Konoha! It's too hot here! Besides, I'm itching to get back into a regular training schedule for the tournament next week! Kiba says the first round is on Tuesday, the second on Wednesday and the third on Friday. Do you think Tsunade-baa-chan will let you off your hospital shifts to join this time?"
"Hopefully," she answered, grinning, "I want to beat Ino-pig." Sakura had been so disappointed when a volunteer to cover her shift at the hospital had failed to appear. While the majority of the shinobi population participated in the tournament, Sakura was stuck in the hospital on a particular boring night to stare out the window and mope.
"What the hell is he doing?" Lee yelled from the other room.
"Shut up!" they heard Neji berate his teammate.
"Hey!" Kiba protested as something fell to the floor and shattered with a crash.
The sounds of scuffling were heard, then a loud thump amidst Akamaru's loud barks of indignation; Neji must have shoved the large dog off of his legs to properly strangle Lee. Kiba too must have joined the fray, due to the loud cursing and the sheer number of muted smacks and kicks. Someone was even thrown into a wall, judging from the loud smash against the wall that surprised Naruto, who jumped about a foot in the air.
Giggling, Sakura turned back to Naruto. "Three deadly shinobi locked in the living room with a tiny TV; what could be worse?"
But then the ramen pot began to overflow and spew scalding hot water everywhere.
I just had to open my mouth.
-
As Sakura slowly regained consciousness the next morning -four days after Iwate had been freed- she calculated that she had slept for almost twelve hours after a quick glance at the clock in the corner of the room. The apartment was quiet; her friends must not be inside, or there would most likely be another tussle. Kakashi must have taken them out into Iwate for some fresh air. Even the smell of instant ramen saturating the air from the kitchen on the other side of the wall was surprisingly absent.
Blinking blearily, she disentangled her arms from her blankets and stretched gingerly. Her ribs were completely healed but still rather tender when she moved, though the tenderness would go away within another couple of days. Glancing around the room, she was surprised to see that Sasuke was asleep in the chair again. His hands were folded in his lap, his head tilted to the side as he slept, oblivious to her scrutiny. There were circles underneath his eyes and he looked rather pale. Concerned, Sakura pulled herself to her feet and padded over to him gingerly. Despite the amount of rest she had gotten, her body still was exhausted. Her mind, however, was not.
Kneeling down in front of Sasuke quietly, Sakura leaned up and brushed the dark hair away from his face. Carefully, she touched his cheek and inspected his face first for any injuries, then the rest of his body. In her haste to save Shikamaru, she had neglected her other teammates. Apart from a nasty looking cut on his arm that had been bandaged well, he appeared fine, if not as exhausted as she was.
She gazed at his face for long moments, finding it hard to believe that he had ever kissed her. If felt like a dream anyway but for her fervent hope that it had actually happened... would Sasuke still feel the same today? Had it just been a 'spur of a moment' thing, the adrenaline rushing through his veins convincing him he wanted her? The emotions burning in his eyes, though... she wanted to believe them. She wanted to believe him. But it was so hard when all she'd had before was disappointment.
Feeling a gaze on hers, Sakura glanced up slightly. Sasuke was awake now, his eyes half open as they roved over her face. She snatched her hand away from his cheek hastily as if it had been burned, but he caught it as she recoiled. He covered it with his other hand and said quietly, "Don't."
Don't what? She gazed up at him in confusion, but Sasuke only sighed.
"I-I...I have to go check on Shikamaru," Sakura said weakly, trying to find an escape. She did not have any intention of him catching her looking over him, not to mention touching him while he slept or even being so close to him! If anything, she wanted to test how much he wanted her. Not the other way around!
"Do you love him?"
Nani? Sakura stared at Sasuke incredulously. "W-what?" she spluttered, utterly shocked by his question. "Do I love Shikamaru?"
Sasuke watched her intently, his mouth drawn in a thin line. "Yes. Do you love him more than you love me?"
"How can you ask that?! Shikamaru-"
The dark-haired teenager got to his feet and walked a couple paces away from her before replying, "I understand... I wouldn't want me either."
She gaped openly as he slowly walked away from her towards the door. "You...You baka!" she called out angrily, scrambling to her feet and racing over to him to turn him around roughly. Anchoring his face with both hands, Sakura gazed into his obstinate dark eyes and said softly, "I love you, you idiot."
Sasuke stilled; emerald clashed with dark gray in a violent storm. Just as suddenly, his mouth was on hers, possessive and demanding. His lips moved over hers and caressed hers roughly, but Sakura didn't mind; she kissed him back just as fervently, standing up on her tip toes to fold her arms around his neck and press her body up against his. Large hands splayed across her back and held her even closer to him. She hazily realized that Sasuke was steering them backwards; he used one hand to grope for the door separating her room from the rest of the apartment and slammed it shut behind them.
With a sudden cry of surprise, Sakura found herself lifted up into Sasuke's arms as he carried her over to her bed and dumped her on it. The gleam in his dark eyes was utterly predatory as he crouched over her and feverishly captured her lips once more. His hands slid down her body and burrowed underneath her shirt to touch her bare stomach; the heat that suddenly pooled in her lower abdomen made her moan softly. "Sasuke..."
Desperate to feel his skin on hers, Sakura broke away from Sasuke's mind-numbing kiss to tug at his shirt, lifting the hem up and attempting to drag it over his shoulders. With a chuckle, he sat up slightly and helped her pull it off. As soon as the offending piece of fabric was off Sasuke kissed her once more, trailing his lips from her cheek, to her chin, then down the side of her neck. Sakura squirmed in his arms, gasping. The sensation of his mouth on her skin was fantastic... She had never thought that a mere touch could light her body on fire...
But then it hit her, just as Sasuke was pulling up her shirt to expose her toned abdomen to kiss his way down it. This was... they couldn't, not right now! Not like this! Panic settled in now, a cold, uncomfortable feeling that drove away the building heat in seconds flat. Sakura hastily pushed Sasuke off of her. "Oh Kami," she whispered, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked, concerned. He touched her cheek gently, looking into her face.
Sakura stared up at him. "W-We got a little carried away," she joked, managing a weak smile.
The Uchiha sighed and leaned his forehead up against hers. "Yeah," he said back, his breathing faster than normal, "Yeah, we did."
"I-It's not like I didn't want to," she rambled on anxiously, "It's just that we're in a hospital, the door isn't locked, and any minute now one of our teammates is probably going to try and find us. And I want my first time to be, I don't know, special? Because I care about you a lot but we're in a hospital and on a mission and-"
Sasuke laughed softly and kissed her lips to quiet her. "You talk too much, Sakura."
Relief washed over her in warm, welcoming waves. He wasn't angry or disappointed with her. She wrapped her arms around his bare waist as he settled them up against the headboard, both content merely to close their eyes and rest. Sakura yawned and willed her body to relax; her nerves still hummed as if she had just been in a spar.
Now at least no one would walk in on anything embarrassing. Even if the other shinobi did find them, now they weren't doing anything...naughty.
A noise in the apartment caused her eyes to snap open.
She just had to think it!
Sudden footsteps nearing the door had Sasuke scrambling for his shirt and Sakura ducking underneath the blanket to feign sleep, her eyes cracked open slightly to see. Sasuke had just tugged his shirt over his head and sat down in the chair when the door opened and there stood none other than Kakashi, clothed not in his usual shinobi gear but a dark green yukata and slacks. His mask, much to Sakura's annoyance and amusement, was still firmly in place over the lower half of his face.
Shit.
"Give it up, Sakura!" her old teacher called out, "I know you're awake."
Guiltily, Sakura opened her eyes and sat up to smile sheepishly at the jounin. "Heh heh... hey Kakashi!" Her sudden movements caused her pack to tumble to the floor, spilling all of its contents. And most embarrassingly for Sakura, the offending Icha Icha book flipped out in plain view for all of them to see.
"Hmm..." Kakashi teased, "Well, I guess I know what you two were up to in here." He walked over to the middle of the floor and picked up his precious book, stowing it away in one of his pockets. "Looks like you two won't be needing this anymore!"
"But-"
"We weren't-"
Kakashi glanced at them and their half-hearted attempts at protesting, his lone eyebrow quirked. "Just wanted to let you know, anyway, that Naruto ordered takeout since he is sick of hospital food. We'll have to eat it in the restaurant, but that beats what we've been eating. We leave in five minutes." With that, he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him, whistling lightly.
Sakura stared after him for long moments after he left, in a state of shock and confusion. Then she hurriedly hopped out of bed and ran to her pack, taking out her shirt and pants. She was just about to lift her pajama shirt when she belatedly realized Sasuke was still in the room.
The Uchiha was still sitting down in the chair, looking at her in amusement. "Icha Icha, huh?" he asked huskily, causing Sakura to blush heavily.
"Sasuke!" she protested in mortification.
Sasuke got to his feet and stalked over to her, where he took the clean shirt out of her hand and threw it on the bed. "You're taking too long," he whispered against her ear, tugging at the hem of her shirt and lifting it up over her head. Sakura merely stood there, shivering, clad only in a sports bra. Without hesitation, Sasuke -while keeping his eyes fixed on her face- took her clean white shirt and slid it on. "There."
While she slipped on her clean dark jeans, Sasuke left the room briefly to grab his own clothing from the room he shared with Naruto. He strode back into the room, stretching. Although he was dressed in simple tan sacks and a blue shirt, the utter shock of seeing the Uchiha in civilian clothing made Sakura's mouth fall open. Even on days off he wore his shinobi gear!
Sasuke looked at her open mouth questioningly. "What?" he asked, glancing around the room for his jacket.
"Er...nothing," she answered, picking up his jacket that was lying on the chair and throwing it at him.
"You coming?" Sasuke asked her when she hesitated. He shrugged on his jacket, then held out his hand to her. With a smile, she took his offered hand. He curled his fingers around her smaller hand as they left her room and headed out into the apartment. Sakura was even more surprised when he kept his grip on hers; she had assumed that he would not tolerate any sign of possession from her, but then she realized what it was. He was staking his claim. Uchiha Sasuke was showing that Haruno Sakura was his. Butterflies suddenly swarmed in her stomach.
They left the apartment silently, trailing after the faint echoes of Naruto's laughter and Akamaru's barks. When they reached the stairs leading to the first floor, they found the rest of their teammates. Lee was already halfway out of the front door when he realized that everyone had stopped. He came inside with a frown on his face, and said, "What's going on?"
Then Sakura caught sight of a rather pale but smiling Shikamaru standing in the lobby, arms crossed over his chest. "Shikamaru!" she breathed to Sasuke, "He shouldn't be out of bed just yet!"
Kakashi seemed to agree; his mouth opened slightly as though he was about to protest, but then he closed it and merely smiled. "Good to see you up and about, Shikamaru."
"Thanks, Kakashi-sempai," Shikamaru said lazily, waving one hand in greeting to the rest of them, "Good to be up."
-
The restaurant that Kakashi had taken them out to was surprisingly very nice. Although it didn't have any ramen - something Naruto groaned about for the entire evening - they ate their noodles and rice gratefully. The hospital food had really been pretty terrible, and Sakura herself had been feeling rather famished from the option of soggy salad or Naruto's equally disgusting instant ramen.
Shikamaru was joking with the best of them; it was evident he was feeling much better. Sakura was so thrilled that her friend was alive that she relaxed completely in the company's presence for the first time since the mission began. This was what life was supposed to be like, surrounded by family and friends. Her sudden ecstatic mood was contagious; Naruto was laughing uproariously with Kiba and Lee over a joke Kiba had repeated, and even Sasuke was grinning lightly at it. On the other side of Sasuke was Kakashi, who was, like always, reading his Icha Icha, but every now and then he would join in on the conversation. Neji sat next to her quietly, though he was smiling as he too looked around at their companions.
Again, Sakura was hit by a sudden wave of homesickness. She wished they were back in Konoha... and she didn't really want to cross the desert again. Back in Konoha, Ino would be here with Chouji in tow; TenTen and Hinata would come with Shino, and all the old jounin sensei -Asuma, Gai, Kurenai- would come as well. Even Yamato-taichou and Sai would come. The last time the sixteen shinobi had been at the barbecue restaurant in Konoha all at once had been just short of disastrous. Gai had lost a three-legged race miserably to Kakashi, Kiba and Sasuke ended up fighting over something silly, Ino had all but seduced Sai, Hinata tried flirting with Naruto, TenTen had hit Lee over the head five times, Kurenai and Asuma began making out, and Yamato had finally asked the owner to turn off the lights so he could do his 'scary flashlight face.' That calmed everyone down only momentarily.
After the owner asked them all to leave, Naruto had the idea to invite everyone over to the Uchiha compound. Sasuke, to this day, still was unaware that it was his blond teammate that had been responsible for the all night blowout and the empty sake bottles left around the compound the following morning.
Glancing over at the dark haired Uchiha with a knowing smile, Sakura decided that she would take that particular secret to the grave.
-
"Unghhh... what?"
"Sakura-chan, wake up!" The shaking of her shoulder halted momentarily. Sakura blearily wondered if Naruto knew that if he shook her one more time it would mean a black eye. He seemed to understand the killing aura that suddenly enveloped her, for he laughed sheepishly.
Opening her eyes, Sakura blinked in surprise; gone was the track jacket and shinobi pants. Instead, Naruto looked... grown up. He was wearing a formal dark green yukata with orange piping lining the expensive looking fabric. "What...what are you wearing?" she asked as he plopped himself down on her bed, reminding her that he wasn't as grown up as he looked.
"Igarashi-san gave it to me. Apparently there is a banquet tonight that we are invited to. Kaka-sensei told me to come wake you up; you get to pick yours out!"
Sakura felt her brain overload with all of the information Naruto was spouting into her ear. "Wait, a banquet? And what do I have to pick out?" She threw her legs over the side of the bed, shoved Naruto out of the way, and got to her feet with a loud yawn.
"Kaka-sensei said you need to go get a formal kimono," her teammate told her cheerfully, "Igarashi-san has a couple old kimono from his wife that would fit you that you can pick out. I guess the banquet is celebrating the successful coup and our presence here as Konoha shinobi. We 'need to be on our best behavior and represent Konoha well', or so Kakashi said."
"Ah," Sakura answered. She hated formal parties more than anything; kimono, while beautiful, were very heavy and nearly impossible to move around quickly in. Not to mention the hot and dry climate here would make it nearly unbearable. "Great."
-
Although choosing a nice kimono from Igarashi's vast collection had been rather easy - all the kimono were utterly beautiful - Sakura found herself dreading the banquet. But the time to arrive came and went in a flash, and now here she was, standing in the middle of the entrance hall surrounded by people she didn't know dressed so elegantly that she was afraid to move or step on the trail of someone's expensive kimono.
Sakura was clad in a light golden colored kimono with a pale blue sash that tied around the middle and dragged down to the floor. The hem of her kimono was lined with dark blue waves and swirls of water that was so realistic that Sakura knew it must have taken the weaver who sewed it a great amount of time and sweat. Small phoenixes rose from the water in rose and burgundy swirls, while their feathers were trimmed in gold and red thread. Though her hair was tied up in a simple bun, Sakura felt beautiful in that kimono. If only Sasuke was here to see me now, she thought, glancing around the room nervously.
Though Sasuke wasn't around, Shikamaru and Neji were, both looking rather uncomfortable by the sheer number of civilians pressed together in an enclosed space that was slowly becoming more and more stuffy. Catching Sakura's eye, the Nara quickly made his way over to her as the crowd passed through the archway to admire the great koi pond outside the hall.
"This is boring," he muttered to her, wincing slightly as he crossed his arms. He was dressed in a red kimono with a large, ornate dragon swirling around its mate on both sleeves. He had shed his jacket ages ago after complaining about the heat.
Neji just nodded in agreement, eyes following the civilians. The Hyuuga was looking formidable in a white haori and dark grey pants, something that actually turned out to be very similar to his normal shinobi garb. Unlike Naruto and Shikamaru, he appeared comfortable in the heavy clothing.
Sakura sighed. "Yeah... I hate not knowing everyone... We're the odd ones out."
"Naruto seems to be having fun," Shikamaru laughed, pointing over to the right. Sure enough, the blond was dancing to an imaginary beat with Kiba; it looked more like an attack sequence than a dance, but then again, did Naruto know anything but shinobi jutsu and taijutsu combinations? Akamaru, who had been allowed in after a threat to behave himself, ended up leaping on top of Naruto and knocking him over into Kakashi in the process. Kakashi's barely visible glare was enough to make Naruto apologize profusely. Lee, who had been routing for Kiba from the sidelines, yelled something into the air, but all they caught were the words "youthful" and "bonding."
Neji shook his head with a smirk. "And this is the shinobi my cousin loves."
Hinata-chan and Naruto? She grinned at him. "Funny how that works out, isn't it?"
Shikamaru looked at her askance. "Yeah, funny," he said dryly, "And you and the Uchiha too... funny how that works."
Her cheeks erupted into flames. "H-how did you-?" she stuttered, wondering how Shikamaru had picked up on it so quickly.
Neji grinned. "When Shikamaru was still unconscious, he stayed by your side while you slept. Every night. And...I may have tried to find you when we went to the restaurant last night and..."
Oh Kami.
"Nara. Hyuuga. I'm kicking both your asses when we're out of here.!"
That was their cue to leave. Sakura felt like there was steam coming out of her ears; she was downright furious!
-
After about an hour - in which Naruto ended up challenging Lee to race ten laps around the building with Kiba as the referee - Sakura glanced around the crowded great hall, craning her neck for a glimpse of Sasuke. However, due to the sheer number of people walking in and out of the banquet hall and the gardens, spotting him would be pretty close to impossible. Seeing short, spiky black hair, she rushed over to the man and was about to tap him on the shoulder when she realized that while this man was wearing the same color kimono as Sasuke was, he was too short to be the elusive Uchiha.
She sighed in frustration. Was Sasuke avoiding her or something? Kami, let it be anything but that, she thought dryly, brushing her pink bangs out of her face.
Then it hit her. "I know where he is." The one place that every shinobi - or any person wishing for some peace and quiet - knew of to get away from the big parties if need be. Outside. In Konoha, they would escape to the rooftops to gaze at the sky. Here, at Igarashi's home... in the gardens or near the koi pond. That was where he had to be.
Quietly Sakura set off, lifting up the long hem of her blue silk kimono to keep it from dragging on the floor. She weaved in and out of the happy, content and most likely slightly drunk lords and their ladies and exited through the arched doorway, where a lovely garden and a clear, starry night awaited her. Letting her chakra gently uncoil and circulate through her body as it naturally did, Sakura was able to sense Sasuke's own chakra, not too far from where she stood in the cool night.
He was sitting on one of the wooden walkways where the garden ended and the water began, his bare feet dangling into the water, facing away from her and gazing out over the placid surface of the pond, but almost as soon as she sensed his chakra signature, he glanced over his shoulder at her as if to ascertain who it was that was intruding on his privacy, then faced the pond again.
Sakura approached him softly, her eyes following his line of gaze towards the moonlit water. "It's beautiful," she murmured quietly, not at all surprised when he didn't answer her. When she was feet away, she slid her own shoes off and then awkwardly sat down beside him, folding up the long robe of her kimono under her legs to dip her feet in the water. She let out a sigh of contentment as the cool water rushed over her feet.
Silence stretched between them, but it was not awkward at all. Sasuke seemed content to merely sit and enjoy the comfort the night offered, and Sakura was content to gaze out across the pond, watching as the koi fish that swam in it gently stirred the water. Ripples floated away in soft rings from where the tips of her toes lapped at the water and travelled outwards, growing fainter and fainter until they finally disappeared from view. But what Sakura liked most of all was the feeling of Sasuke's presence next to her, the way that when he shifted his shoulder would lightly brush hers. Or the fact that the Uchiha had finally allowed her into his company.
It took a couple more minutes for Sakura to think of something to say to him. It took her another couple of minutes to debate whether or not to break the comfortable silence. But Sasuke must have sensed her sudden hesitance, for he turned to look at her, a frown fixed on his face. Sakura glanced up at him and smiled, rubbing and twisting her hands together.
"Are you cold?" he asked quietly, his eyes meeting hers.
"N-No," she stuttered, "I'm okay-"
"Sakura, don't be stupid," he said, snaking one arm around her and pulling her flush up against him. He settled her close to him and gently leaned his head against hers, then returned to watching the night progress through the sky.
She blushed as her body relaxed in his grip. The warmth of his body seeped through his clothing into her own, and she snuggled closer to the welcomed contact. The lull of the water and Sasuke's rhythmic breathing made for a very pleasant and cozy atmosphere indeed out on the docks leading to the large koi pond, and Sakura soon found her eyes closing involuntarily.
Just when she was about to drift off, she felt warm lips brush across her forehead. "Wake up," an amused voice rumbled quietly.
"I wasn't sleeping," Sakura murmured in protest, "I was just resting my eyes."
"Hn." A warm hand gently smoothed her pink bangs away from her forehead, then began to trace the locks that had come undone from the bun she had put it in earlier. "I'm sorry," she heard him whisper in her half-awake state.
"For what?"
She opened his eyes to see Sasuke manage a small smile. "For taking so long to tell you how much I care about you. I thought...I thought that if I ignored you and what I felt whenever I was around you... that wanting you would just go away. That's why... that's why I was so hard on you when we trained... I wanted to push you away." His grip tightened on her. "But it didn't work. It took almost losing you to make me realize that I care about you."
Sakura smiled through her tears. "I've waited so long to hear that," she said happily. It was the only thing she could think to say to his confession.
Sasuke leaned down to kiss her, his eyes locked on hers as he descended. Sakura tilted her face to meet his, her eyes closing. His lips were mere millimeters away from hers when a large splash and cold water splattered all over them interrupted it. Gasping and spluttering in shock and anger, Sakura brushed her now soaked hair out of her face and glared at the offender.
"NARUTO!" Sasuke shouted angrily, jumping up to his feet and slinging off the outer coat of his kimono. He threw the offending, wet piece of fabric to the dock and jumped in the water on top of a very surprised blond shinobi.
Sakura shrieked as another wave of water splashed over her. "You bakas!" she called out breathlessly, but then she started laughing as Sasuke grabbed Naruto and shoved him underneath the water. "At least let him breathe, Sasuke!"
The Uchiha looked at her, smirked, then allowed Naruto to surface, choking on water as he inhaled deeply. "Geez," Naruto panted, swimming over to the dock and pulling himself out of the pond, "What was that for, teme?!"
"For getting Sakura wet."
Naruto looked sheepish as he gazed down at her and her soaked silk kimono. "Gomen, Sakura-chan," he apologized, though he couldn't hide the slight grin as he added, "Well, someone has to act like a chaperone around here when you two sneak off to-"
Sakura laughed as Naruto was suddenly hit in the side of the head with a large chunk of mud. Sasuke stood in the shallows of the pond, looking at him rather innocently seeing as his right fist was covered in the same grimy substance as was Naruto's cheek. "What?" the Uchiha asked, grinning, "You can't say he didn't deserve it!"
"No," she giggled, watching as Naruto got to his feet and jumped into the pond, advancing towards Sasuke at an alarming rate, "But if any mud hits me, you two are dead!"
A sudden presence made all three of them stop in their tracks and turn around to see who it was. There stood their sensei, his arms crossed over his chest casually, a rather amused gleam detected in his lone eye. "Yo," Kakashi greeted, raising one hand, "You three sure are making a racket out here."
Naruto laughed. "Sasuke started it!"
"Did not! That was you, dobe!"
Kakashi looked down at Sakura questioningly. She merely smiled up at the older jounin. "You don't want to know."
"Fair enough. C'mon you two, get out of the pond. You're scaring Igarashi-san's koi fish."
They clambered out of the pond and stood on the simple wooden dock beside Sakura and Kakashi, shivering in their soaked kimonos. Without a word, Kakashi turned around and grabbed towels for each of them from the ground; he must have brought them with him when he arrived. Sakura gratefully took hers and draped it around her shoulders, holding it close to her body. Sasuke and Naruto too wrapped their towels around themselves and stood, teeth chattering and wet clothes dripping onto the dock.
Sasuke sat down on her left just as Naruto grinned at Kakashi before settling himself down on her right. The four of them then gazed out at the twinkling night sky and couldn't help but feel as relaxed and as tranquil as the calming waters of the pond. The night was truly beautiful, but what Sakura would remember the most fondly out of this night would be the comfort in which they gave and took from each other's company.
Kakashi smiled down at his students. "Time to go home."
-
So there you go! The mission is now completed! Hope you enjoyed it! This is officially the last chapter, but seeing as I AM posting an epilogue... not quite the end.
Please, review! The epilogue will be out shortly!
-Jackie