Note: WOOHOO! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews everyone! I didn't think anyone would review…I dunno why hah hah! ; Well anyways, I am so proud to introduce you the second chapter! Weeeehhhh! XD
Chapter 2 – A Chaotic Illusion
There was a moment of silence between them. He kept glancing at the boy and then turning away every time the boy would look at him. Jounichi looked up at his daughter who was walking just a bit ahead of them. He never knew how much of a beauty she had become…so much like her mother. But he knew that the stubborn side of her came from him.
"It's getting dark…we should camp for the night…it would be too dangerous if we're walking around in the dark unattended…" Sasuke went on ahead to look around for a spot.
Sakura stopped to rest nearby a tree, her arms folded across her chest, while trying to avoid eye contact with her father.
"Is there something going on with you and that young man?" Jounichi suddenly asked, joining his daughter on the tree. "I mean that boy is an Uchiha…do you really think being involved with an Uchiha is a good idea?" Normally, he wouldn't mind if his daughter was involved with anyone, except maybe for Sasuke. He remembered the boy as being the type to drive away a lot of people due to what had happened to the whole clan. He was there when he Sasuke was only ten years old, being taken gently by the hand by Hokage-sama. Jounichi never really figured out what happened after that.
The pink haired twenty-two year old frowned up at her father. She gave him a stern look before looking away towards where Sasuke had disappeared to. "Why does it matter to you?" She couldn't BELIEVE her father was telling her not to get involved with Sasuke. He had no idea HOW much she's been involved with his life already…how much he had to go through, she had to go through in her heart…the pain, the suffering…all of it. However, the only difference was that she wasn't there to see how it turned out in the end.
Sasuke came back a couple minutes later without his backpack. "I think I found the right spot to camp for the night…" He turned and left. Sakura followed him without a word, while Jounichi decided to keep their conversation at that and deal with it later before following his daughter.
Seconds later, they ended up in an opening where the tallest of all trees were surrounding the camp Sasuke had clearly made. Fire was already burning in the middle of a single tree stump, a large fallen tree to their right and a readied tent for a single person to sleep in. Sasuke settled himself on the tree stump, while Sakura decided to sit where the fallen tree was and stare at the fire. Jounichi glanced at the tent, where no one seemed to be occupying it and turned his attention towards the boy who seemed to make his daughter's heart flutter…or so what he's heard from his wife.
"You can have the tent for the night…" Sakura spoke, without looking at her father. "I'm not too tired…" She nodded towards Jounichi's arm that was resting around his torso where he had been hit by a kunai.
Jounichi wasn't sure he was referring to him or to Sasuke, but since Sasuke made no reaction, he figured it was him she was talking to. He sighed and walked over to where his daughter was sitting and sat down beside her. "I've endured a lot of injuries over the years and this doesn't compare to any of those…It's just a scratch."
"So I guess the injury in your heart counts as one of them?" This time, Sakura glanced up at her father with a hurt look on her face. Jounichi felt his heart had been ripped piece by piece by that look…that was the same look his wife gave him the moment he stepped back into his family's world after ten long years.
Sasuke could only listen. He wasn't part of this little quarrel they had between father and daughter. If he stepped into this, he would only make things worse, not better. Besides…he didn't know how to deal with this sort of stuff.
"Sakura…" Jounichi sighed and turned his head to stare at the fire in front of them. "I know you're still angry with me about not telling you where I've been for the last ten years. I really want to tell you, but right now I don't think I'm ready. I don't think you'd be able to grasp the situation I'm in."
The pink haired jounin stood up, her fists clenched at her sides. "Then TRY ME! I'm no longer a child, otousan! I am twenty-two years old…I am no longer the naïve little girl you once knew!"
"I JUST DON'T WANT YOU INVOLVED! THAT'S ALL!" Jounichi had stood up on his feet, his whole six feet form towering over his daughter's five foot six. The wrinkles on his forehead multiplied the moment the frown and then the anger showed up on his face. The sound of his deep, resounding voice echoed amongst the trees.
Sakura stood her ground, not intimated by his tall form at all.
Sasuke would dare not look. He sat silently, carving a piece of wood which used to be the size of his hand and now had turned into one that was now the size of his palms. Then, he heard something rustling in the bushes. Sasuke froze in his spot, stood up stared at the bushes. "Sakura…"
Sakura looked up. "Nani?" She followed his wandering eyes to where dark bushes were moving slightly in a slant. It stopped for a second and then it continued on to shake. Jounichi looked as well. If he was a fighter now, he'd be taking out his kunai from his side pocket where he would usually put it.
"Stay here," Sakura commanded to her father. Sasuke lifted up his hand to stop her from following him. "No, you stay here," he said. "Protect your father while I go and check it out."
Sakura frowned. "I think YOU should stay here Sasuke-kun while I go check it out myself…" She took a step forward ahead of Sasuke, but Sasuke would not tolerate such rude behavior. He placed a hand on her shoulder and firmly squeezed it. Sakura squirmed under his rough touch and jerked her head to look at him.
He was looking down at her frowning. "Stop trying to avoid your father…" Sasuke walked pass her and stopped a few feet away from Sakura before turning his head to look back at her. "Besides…it's both our jobs to protect him. So do your part and protect him." With that said, Sasuke disappeared behind the dark bushes.
Sakura stared at where he disappeared and touched the shoulder where Sasuke had squeezed. She sighed and walked silently back to her father and silently took out her kunai from the side of her leg where the pocket was attached and stood in front of him, trying to avoid his eyes again.
"You know, you've really grown up," Jounichi suddenly said. "I would've expected you to give the position as the enforcer and let the man have his way, but you…you really stood your ground. I'm so proud of you."
"You don't know me long enough to say that," Sakura replied without looking at him. "Just stay where you are…it could be an ambush." She gripped her hand around her kunai and stared at the dark bushes. Sasuke hadn't come back yet, so something must have happened and she was beginning to worry.
...Meanwhile...
Sasuke looked around, his sharingan at the ready. The bush began to rustle more and he took a slow step towards it. It was odd, but if anyone were to attack them, the person on the other side of the bush would've jumped out of his or her spot and charged at him by now. "Come out! There's no point in hiding! You have been found so…why don't you come out nice and!" He quickly took out his kunai and was about to throw it at the perpetrator, when something small and white came out of the bushes. It stopped, went on its hind legs and smelled the air before running off. Sasuke sighed and was about to put his kunai back into its place when he realized something. "Kuso!" It was odd that a white rabbit was here in the spring time when it should be hibernating somewhere… "KUSO!" he hissed before turning around and running back to where Sakura and Jounichi were. Naruto would've fallen for that the second time, but HIM? What pisses him off was that fact that HE, Uchiha Sasuke would fall for such a trick!
"AH!" She winced as she was pinned against the tree behind her by a large hand that was choking her to death. Sakura coughed, searching in her pockets to find a secondary weapon to slice as the man's arms. She glanced at her father, who was held restraint by a second person. She hadn't seen them coming, let alone FEEL them coming. She wasn't really good at that sort of stuff, that's why she's quite surprised at herself for making it this far. However, it wasn't the time to ponder that. She had to find a way to get away from this large man's grasp before he kills her.
"I could have so much fun with you since you're strikingly hot! But…" the man nipped at her ear. Sakura winced. "You're in the way…" He grinned and licked the side of her mouth.
"SAKURA!" Jounichi tried to struggle his way out from the other shinobi's grasp, but the wound in his side kept him from doing so. The other shinobi kicked his wound and he fell to his side, writhing in pain.
Sakura could only watch as her father was being kicked and beaten. Suddenly, she felt seething pain in her right arm. The pink haired Chuunin wanted to scream, but she wouldn't dare. She didn't want to show her fear…not yet. Not in front of this man who seems to want to destroy every inch of her.
"Yai!"
The man looked up at the man who now gripped his hand tightly around Jounichi's hair, pulling him up in a sitting position. This man seemed more relaxed… more calm, but Sakura knew better than to judge anyone by his looks. From where she stood, or rather, was pinned against, this man with the long sandy blond hair looked to be the deadliest out of the two of them.
"I need her to be un-harmed. Yamato-sama and Kasumi-sama do not want her to be harmed. Once they are finished with her, you can go at it after. Right now…" He lifted up Jounichi by the hair until his eyes were leveled with him and glared down at Jounichi. "This man is the priority. HE'S the one who needs the punishment…not her." He punched Jounichi in the gut and he fell unconscious on the ground.
Sakura slowly moved his arms behind her back, making sure none of them could see and reached inside her back pocket to find her second kunai resting inside.
The man who was called Yai had a disappointed look on his face. He stared back at Sakura and leaned his chin on her shoulder and whispered, "You're one lucky bitch…."
The pink haired Chuunin smirked. "Lucky? Heh. Lucky is my middle name!" With a swift move, she sliced at the hand choking her.
The kunai sliced at the back of his hand, forcing Yai to cry in pain. "AARGGHHH!" He grabbed the back of his hand with his other hand and stumbled backwards. Sakura fell on the soft earth, coughing. Yai glared at her. "WHY YOU LITTLE!" He winced when a second kunai comes flying pass him, slicing his arm and hitting the tree where it stayed. It barely missed Sakura. Yai looked over his shoulder as a second figure comes charging forward…fast…his dark spiky hair visible to the naked eye. He was even more difficult to find since his dark clothes camouflaged every movement. He moved like lightning and it was impossible to detect where he would go next. Yai jumped out of the way as a second kunai whizzes pass him, scratching his other arm. He didn't see Sasuke coming when all of a sudden he noticed him appear right in front of him, blocking Sakura.
"Sakura! Are you all right?" he said, without looking at Sakura.
Sakura slowly got up from the ground and nodded. "Yeah…I'm fine…I think…" She glanced over at her father lying on the ground. "Otousan!" She was about to go after him, when Sasuke stops her. She looks up confused.
"Sakura…stay where you are. This man…" He glares at the man standing beside the unconscious Jounichi. "He looks dangerous. When I've driven him far enough from your father, grab him quickly and leave."
"So…you want to fight me?" The man smiled, his whole body calm, but it seems to be emitting a lot of power. "Well, go ahead. I give you the honor of attacking first." He goes into his fighting position…which was more like standing still than anything else. Sasuke could feel the amount of chakra in this man and it has a lot. He needs to be careful this time as he stands face to face with him. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself…" The man smiled and bows politely. "My name is Mizoguchi Kayo and you are?"
Sasuke frowns. "Uchiha….Sasuke…."
"Ah, you are the great Sasuke Uchiha! It's a pleasure to meet you Uchiha…kun!" He claps his hands together in excitement, sending off chills down Sasuke's spine. Kayo continues to smile and before Sasuke even had a chance, he charges, not giving Sasuke a chance at all to recover from his odd behavior.
Sakura gasped, watching in horror.
"Sakura! Get out of here now!" Sasuke quickly shifted his left feet so it was a bit behind his right one and gets into fighting position, waiting until he was close enough, his hands clenched in front of him. In the middle of his attack, Kayo quickly draws a sword from his side and slashes it towards Sasuke.
Sakura obeyed, lifting her father up from the ground with so much effort. "Come on Otousan, you have to help me out here!" Jounichi looked up tiredly and nodded, staggering alongside her as they left for the safety of the woods.
Sasuke barely managed to get away, when the sword was so close into slashing the front part of his skin. To his relief, it only managed to tear the front part of his shirt. He scanned the way Kayo moved with his sharingan and began copying his attacks, only just dodging every assault he was throwing at him.
"Copying my moves?" Kayo spoke, appearing behind Sasuke. He lifted up his arms and does a seal with his hands. The taller man pressed a hand around Sasuke's head (Sasuke unable to move at this point) and shocked him. Sasuke screamed in pain. He kicked at Kayo and somersaulted backwards away from his grasp. "Are you able to copy that?" The man spoke in a slightly different tone of voice from what Sasuke was used to.
This was going to be a tough battle…not that he wasn't used to it.
Sasuke took out his large shuriken, Fuuma and charges at him. "Fire hurricane!" He speeds up and throws his Fuuma at Kayo and while the weapon was speeding towards his enemy, Sasuke summons his fire jitsu, creating an illusion of a fire hurricane. Kayo didn't seem surprised, while he stands there, not even flinching. Sasuke was aware of this, but he continued on with his attack, watching the fire hurricane reach its end point. Kayo stood his ground, clenching his fists together and just as the fire began to burn, he lifted up his palms and with a speed of light, he quickly performs his hand seals. He smirks and glanced over at Sasuke before jumping out of harm's way. "Let's see how well you do with this, Uchiha-kun!" After finishing his hand seals, Kayo formed his right hand like a gun and pretends to shoot at Sasuke.
Sasuke watched him curiously, but whatever he had done, would not affect him because nothing was working. He was surprised though that his fire hurricane had suddenly dissolved like nothing ever happened. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, he was surrounded with dead bodies. Sasuke blinked and looked down at all of them. They were all wearing the Uchiha emblem on their backs. A woman, dressed in a pink dress looked up from the ground, her eyes a blood red and stared at Sasuke, reaching out her hands towards him. Sasuke shook his head. 'No this can't be real,' he thought, backing up a little. 'This is an illusion…" Sasuke looked up, smirking. "This won't work on me!"
Then other dead bodies followed along the woman, their eyes all blood red, calling his name. Sasuke noticed a dead woman with familiar long pink hair begging for her to be saved. Her familiar green eyes were the only thing that gave away who she was. They were crawling towards him, all ten or twenty bodies that were calling at him. Sasuke quickly took his kunai and stabbed himself on the leg.
"It's not going to work, Uchiha-kun. You might believe it will work with you from before, but this time, it won't. My illusions are real and active…" Kayo laughed, his voice echoing in his head.
'Nani?'
The woman with the pink hair stood up, staggering towards him, her eyes now turning into the same red all the other dead bodies possessed. From out of nowhere, she produced a large sword and began attacking him…skillfully even, familiar to Sasuke. It was the same thing Kayo was doing.
"Everything is connected, Uchiha-kun!" Kayo was nowhere to be found as Sasuke noticed. The woman slashed at his arm, leaving a deep gash.
Sasuke winced and glanced down at the wound at his stomach. 'Everything is connected…' He placed a hand on his wounded stomach and stared at the blood in his hands. 'Everything is connected…Masaka! That first attack! It must have triggered the illusion and his second attack, the electricity in my brain must have triggered the way I think!'
"Good! Now you're getting it!"
Sasuke dodged as more attacks came his way from the pink haired woman. When he found the opening, he summoned his fire attack and burned her to the ground, as well as the others. However, more dead bodies came at him. 'I got it!' He grabbed his kunai and slashed himself on the stomach. Sasuke winced, the pain adding to the wound that Kayo inflicted on his stomach from earlier. Sasuke looked up, the illusions quickly disappearing and he was once again face to face with his enemy.
Kayo smiled and clapped his hands together. "Very good! I didn't think you'd understand the concept of my perfect attack! You truly are from an advanced bloodline! I'm sure your mother and father would've been very proud of you!"
Kayo! Forget about him for now! I want you to come back to me!
"What's that?" Kayo suddenly said, looking up at the sky.
Sasuke's eyes furrowed, wondering who in the hell he was talking to. He fell to his knees, his arm over his double wounds on his stomach. However, he quickly stood up, grabbing his large shuriken from his back and gets ready for a second fight when Kayo looked back at him. "Well, well, you are in luck…" He smiled and bowed. "It has been a pleasure fighting you, but right now I must go." Kayo turned around and picked up his fallen companion from the ground and disappeared behind a thick mist that appeared from out of nowhere. Sasuke froze for a bit and when he knew they were gone for sure, he turned and began staggering towards the woods where he believed Sakura and her father had gone.
"I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART! I WANT YOU STAY WITH ME!" Sakura opened her eyes and looked around groggily. She had fallen asleep on one of the big rocks, her whole body now ached from sleeping on the hard surface. The pink haired Chuunin couldn't believe how long it's been since she's dreamed of that time she had confessed her love to Sasuke before he left.
Why now?
She has finally begun to forget that embarrassing moment and has finally begun to forget her feelings towards him. Sakura promised herself that whatever the circumstances, she wouldn't fall for him again. She just wanted to be his friend from now on, a true teammate whom he could tell secrets to.
The young woman of twenty-two, after her birthday has passed, found her father asleep on the ground adjacent to her. To her relief, she could see him breathing slowly and knew that Jounichi Haruno had survived that assault from the two shinobis. She stood up and slowly walked towards the front entrance of the cave. She was starting to feel worried for Sasuke. He's been gone for at least two hours.
Sakura sighed and walked back towards the very back of the cave, back towards her father, when suddenly, she heard someone staggering in. Startled, she jumped around and noticed Sasuke leaning against the entrance, bleeding all over. "Sasuke-kun!" she yelped, running up to him.
Sasuke looked at her and without a word; he closed his eyes and fell forward on the ground.
GoodGurl: Hello kids! How are you all? Thank you for all your reviews! I know in this chapter, there wasn't much SasuSaku interaction, but I promise next time there will be MORE! XD So stay tuned on the next chapter!