Note: Wow..I am SOOO sorry for not updating oftern! I don't know..laziness becomes me so er ah..here it is! ;. Ahhh, forgive me so! bows many times Oh and beware of a LOT of flashbacks:P There's going to be plenty of that in the next few chapters.

Chapter 7 – Kiyoshi's Story

Clouds hovered above the quiet village. Outside, he hadn't noticed any form of life, except maybe that of a small rodent that scurried from one shelter to another across the wet pavement. He felt as though they were the only ones left in the world-just him and…Sasuke turned away from the window and looked over at Rika. She was a woman who was somehow connected to Jounichi's former lover, Sayuri.

"You're still here," the woman said as a matter of fact.

Sasuke went to sit next to her on the dining room chair. "I am. I want to know the rest of the story."

Rika smiled. "For you to say such words prove you are willing to open up your heart for the woman you love."

Sasuke said nothing.

"Very well…" She cleared her throat, before continuing on. "Sayuri-sama was falling deeper and deeper in love with this man from Konoha. She was careful of course, not to reveal such feelings in front of everyone she knew in the village. I was the only one knowledgeable enough for her love for Jounichi…"

"It's wonderful, isn't it?"

He glanced to his right and noticed the Priestess approaching. Her long brown hair was beautiful under the moonlight and Jounichi couldn't help but notice such radiance coming from her. He has often wondered why such women were chosen for the job as a priestess, whether they were chosen for their looks or their intelligence.

She laughed. "Haruno-san? Are you all right?"

Jounich blinked. He hadn't noticed that was staring at her the whole time. Jounichi turned away and stared up at the sky. "Wonderful?"

Sayuri nodded. "The stars. I have often wondered why they are much brighter and more beautiful at night." She looked at him and smiled.

Jounichi saw the sadness in her eyes.

"My mother once told me that dark and light have this great impact when working together than light with light or dark with dark."

"You mean opposites attract?" He continued to stare deeper into her brown eyes.

Sayuri nodded. "I guess you could put it that way." She looked up into the sky. So many memories were beginning to take flight in her mind as she sat down on the ground and began humming a tune.

"What's that?"

The brown haired girl looked up. "What's what?"

Jounichi leaned against the tree behind him and folded his arms across his chest. "That song you're humming…it's nice."

"It's what my mother used to hum to me to sleep during these quiet of nights." Sayuri stood up and started to sing out the words in a clear, concise voice.

"Oh beautiful night

How wonderful the stars

How magnificent the moon

A unicorn dances in the sky

Brightening the night with its splendor

A bird sings

Telling the world good night

How soon you shall sleep

Into wonderful dream

No nightmare shall consume you

But may it be romance and happiness

Oh beautiful night

How wonderful the sky

Thousands of twinkle In the darkest of night…"

She ended the song and continued to stare up at the sky, unaware that Jounichi was staring at her, mesmerized by her voice, the song and her beauty.

He too was feeling deeper and deeper in love.

...In the middle of the night...

Sayuri awoke at the sound of a door opening. Slowly, she got up from bed. 'Who on earth would be awake at this hour?' She thought. Cautiously, she walked over to the door, then opened it quickly, widening it in front of her. However, there was no one there. She peeked her head out and glanced around, but still there was no sign of anyone's presence in the hallway. Moonlight fell upon the hallway leading to the shrine, where the scroll would be. Her eyes followed those lights towards a shadowed figure. "Who's there?" Sayuri grabbed to the side of her dresser drawer a broom that Rika had left behind.

The figure paused to look at her.

She held the broom at her eye level and approached the figure carefully. "What do you want?"

Suddenly, she was pinned against the wall. Sayuri fired back by swinging her broom to the side of the attacker, allowing herself room to escape.

After being hit hard to the side, the figure quickly recovered and ran after her. She was caught off guard when he appeared in front of her, with nowhere to escape. She tried to fight back again, but the attacker swung his knife, aiming for her belly. Sayuri managed to avoid a dangerous retaliation, but barely. She could tell this was a man attacking her, from the way he moved. Nevertheless, despite what gender the attacker was, she knew she had to stop thinking about that. Both would be after her life. 'What am I running away for?' she thought to herself. 'Haruno-san…' Sayuri needed to be brave.

Suddenly, the young woman stopped running and pivoted so fast that the shinobi was even shocked at this move. He stopped dead in his tracks and noticed the expression in Sayuri change from fear to determination. "What do you want?" She clenched her hand tightly around her broom.

"Nothing that concerns you, Priestess!" He charged again, slashing at her with his dagger.

Sayuri gasped, blocking every inch of the shinobi's attacks. He was slowly forcing her back against the wall, hoping to trap her. She took another step and behind her, she felt the cold wall. She was too distracted by the wall that she hadn't seen the knife come down on her arm and the shinobi managed to leave a deep gash on her right arm. She winced, but she released no cry.

The shinobi decided to finish her off with a final blow, but before he could do anything, something got in his way. It took her a moment to realize that someone had moved in front of her for the second time. She wasn't the only one surprised by the presence of Haruno Jounichi. He looked at Jounichi intently. "This does not concern Konoha! Why do you protect a priestess from the Mist? THEY are the ones not to be trusted!"

Jounich frowned. "Are you all right, Sayuri-san?"

Sayuri clutched at her injured arm. "Hai."

Jounichi's frown stuck on his face. He grabbed his kunai and pointed it against the man's chest. "Perhaps it is you who should not be trusted!" There was a dangerous look in the brown haired man's eyes, something Sayuri has never seen before.

"I have come to destroy the scroll in which will cause harm not only for us, but mostly for Konoha! Your Hokage does not know the real truth behind his so-called ally!"

"And what is the truth?"

The shinobi opened his mouth to speak when he suddenly stopped and fell forward. Startled, Jounichi caught him and noticed three kunais wedged at his back, blood dripping endlessly around them. Jounichi looked up and saw the Yamakage standing there with two of his own shinobis at his side.

"Throw the body away," Yamakage ordered to one of his men.

One shinobi took the dead body from Jounichi and dragged him away.

"Good job once again, Haruno-san. I will always remember the many times you have saved my daughter. I am now at ease, knowing a man like you can fight well to protect my daughter."

Jounichi nodded. "It is my duty, after all."

The Yamakage nodded an approval and glanced at his daughter, then back at Jounichi. "It seems the shinobi from Cloud managed to enter the shrine and disposed of the scroll we have worked on for days. I'm afraid, your duty will have to prolong in protecting my daughter as we start from the beginning." There was a hint of irritation from the last sentences in the Yamakage's voice. He turned to his daughter. "Sayuri, are you all right?"

Sayuri stood up slowly, but winced when she felt her knees buckle. "Hai, otousama…"

"Good. You seem uninjured, so continue to protect the scroll. Rika, please tend to your Priestess." With that said, he turned and left.

"Hai!" Rika ran to Sayuri's side immediately.

Jounichi watched Sayuri's father leave without every look of concern for his daughter. "Does he not worry for your well-being?" he said outloud.

Sayuri laughed. "My father has always been like that." She stood up slowly. "I am used to it-AH!" Her knees buckled again and she was forced to sit back down.

"Sayuri-sama! What's the matter?" Rika glanced down at her with a look of deep concern.

Sayuri sighed. "I guess my body is not used to so much physical activities. I will be all right. I just need to unbuckle my knees for a moment."

"But…your injury! Your father told me to take care of you immediately!"

The brown haired girl looked up at Rika and smiled reassuringly at her. "It's only a cut!"

"It is not only a cut." Rika looked up and noticed Jounichi approaching her. Without another word, she watched as the Konoha man kneeled in front of her, with his back towards her. "Rika-san, please help Sayuri-san climb on to my back."

It took Rika a while to realize what he was trying to do before she answered "Hai!" and helped Sayuri slowly climb on Jounichi's back. When she was finished, she stepped back and watched as Sayuri's petite form fit well with the larger stature of the man's back.

"Hang on to me tightly, Sayuri-san," he said to Sayuri.

Rika followed closely as they made their way to their small infirmary within the perimeter. It was only a few doors away, but for Sayuri, she wished they could be like this for eternity as she laid her head against his back.

When they arrived, the infirmary was as expected, empty. Rika quickly went ahead and rummaged through the drawers for some herbs or anything that could help with Sayuri's wound. When she finished, she went to where Sayuri sat in one of the empty beds, with Jounichi standing nearby.

"This is all I could find," Rika said, putting the things on the bed. She took out a gauze and poured a little bit of alcohol in it, just enough to soak the gauze. Then when she was satisfied, she dabbed the gauze filled alcohol on to the wound. Sayuri flinched from the stinging and took a deep breath. "Gomenne," Rika said quietly.

Sayuri shook her head. "Mmm, it's all right."

As Rika continued to dab the alcohol to remove the excess blood from around the wound, she was surprised how deep the gash was on Sayuri's arm.

"You were brave back there," Jounichi suddenly said out loud.

The brown haired woman shook her head and replied, without looking at Jounichi in the eyes. "If I was brave, I wouldn't have been able to cut myself like this."

"Being brave does not necessarily mean you are not injured. All brave men and women have some way to show they were, during a scuffle." He glanced at Rika, who was staring at the deep gash on Sayuri's arm, who also seemed unsure on what to do. "How is the wound, Rika-san?"

Rika looked up. "Eto…" There was a drop of sweat pouring from the side of her face. "I…I don't really know how to stitch up a wound. I am merely a handmaiden to the Priestess. Gomen-nasai, Sayuri-sama."

Sayuri shook her head again. "Please…do not apologize so."

Jounichi reached over and fished through the things Rika brought from the drawer and took out a needle and a roll of thread. Rika watched as he pulled up a chair beside the bed and began working through the wound with the thread and needle, slowly, yet expertly stitching up the gash.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Sayuri asked, her eyes widening in amazement.

The brown haired man smiled. "During a mission, usually there are three shinobis. One who understands the concept of their surroundings, one who is a very strong fighter and one who was a healer in case any of the two were injured."

"And you are the third," Sayuri said. She liked the feeling of his large hands on her skin. He felt warm and comforting and she wondered what it would be like if she were in his arms right now.

Jounichi nodded. "Yes." He finished the stitching by tying the ends together and dabbed more alcohol around the wound to get rid of the blood from her skin. "You should be all right now."

Sayuri looked down at her wound, which was now closed up. She clenched her right hand, but she still felt pain and she winced. "Arigatou."

The older man shook his head. "You shouldn't move around so."

The brown haired girl nodded. "Right..." She looked at Jounichi straight in the eyes. "Please teach me how to fight."

Jounichi was caught off guard with this request. "Nani?"

Sayuri sighed and looked out the window. "I want to be able to learn how to fight back at least, instead of defending myself all the time. I do not want to see the disappointed look on my father's face that his own daughter, who became a priestess to protect the scroll, does not even know how to injure an attacker."

"Sayuri-sama…"

Jounichi stood up. "Protecting something or someone does not mean you need to fight back. I was quite impressed with how well you handled yourself against the shinobi from the Cloud country. You do not need to learn how to fight. You are already a good fighter within you."

"PLEASE!" Sayuri pleaded with a louder tone in her voice.

Startled, the brown haired man looked at her and allowed her to continue speaking her mind.

"I…I REALLY want to learn how to fight back! This is the only chance I have of learning! I trust you! My father trusts you! Rika trusts you!"

Jounichi took a long deep breath and did not reply for a while. Sayuri patiently waited for an answer, while Rika sat beside Sayuri without a word.

After a long silence, the older man finally spoke. "So you are prepared to face the dangers of a real fight between shinobis? You are prepared to even kill a man even in dire situations?"

Sayuri nodded and with a firm answer, said, "Yes."

"Very well, I shall teach you. However, you need to heal yourself first before we go on this training."

"Ohhhhh! THANK YOU SO MUCH! THANK YOU!" Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him in for a hug. Surprised at this, the only thing Jounichi could do was pat her on the back awkwardly, while Rika watched on, confirming to herself that indeed, Sayuri was in love with this man.

"Ah! You're awake now…" Kiyoshi entered the room, carrying a tray of what Sakura could see, bottles of more medicines that she was sure he was prepared to feed her for her wound. He stopped dead in his tracks and was surprised to see Sakura already standing and was rummaging through his closet. "Uh…I see that Sasuke has taught you SOME things…even going through a man's closet."

Sakura looked at him. "If you knew my father, then you would already expect that I cannot sit here and wait for Sasuke-kun to come back." She grabbed a large duffel bag that she was glad to have found and placed it on the bed and began putting random things inside.

Kiyoshi placed the tray on the table and walked up to her. "There is a fine line between courage and stupidity." He watched as the pink haired girl zipped the duffel bag closed and was heading for the door. Sighing, he quickly walked passed her and blocked the door. "Were you listening to what I was just saying?"

"Please Kiyoshi-san…" Sakura looked up with a determined look in her eyes.

The older man shook his head. "Sasuke specifically told me to-!"

"TO HELL WITH SASUKE-KUN!" She clenched her fists at her sides, shaking with anger. Her eyes were burning with rage as she stared face to face with Jounichi's old friend. She looked away quickly and took a deep breath to calm down.

"Did you really mean that?"

Sakura looked back at him. "Of course I…didn't." She took a deep breath and adjusted the duffel bag on her shoulder. "I…I love Sasuke-kun."

"Then if you love him so much, then you wouldn't be planning to go off after him and getting yourself hurt. I'm sure Sasuke wouldn't want that from you."

The pink haired girl shook her head. "The one Sasuke-kun is looking for is my father. He's my father, Kiyoshi-san! I…I want to at least be able to help out." She glanced down on the ground, her fists still clenched at her side.

Kiyoshi looked down at her. He sighed, placing a hand on top of her head. "You really ARE Chiharu's daughter."

Surprised at this, Sakura looked up at him.

The older man smiled, but deep down the pink haired girl knew he was hiding something deeper behind that smile. "When she was determined, she would always clench her fists and look down on the ground as if not wanting to show how brave she really was. That's what I loved about her."

"You…loved her?" She blushed and looked away. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

Kiyoshi shook his head. "It's all right. I don't mind answering for you. Yes, I loved her. Your father, your mother and I were the best of friends, but I was always the one looking out for Chiharu. I knew of her feelings for Jounichi, but he was blinded of them. You see, your father also loved the idea of being out there in the world and traveling. Both of us loved it, but Chiharu, being the only girl in our group, was comfortable with staying in the village." He chuckled at a little bit of memory. "She would always scold us for wandering off too far from the village when we were eleven."

Sakura sat down on the chair near the table where Kiyoshi had placed the tray of medicine and continued to listen to Kiyoshi's story. She put the duffel bag down on the floor. "She scolded you?" She smiled. "My mother always believed that being scolded was the best way to understand the wrong things done to people."

"That's EXACTLY the same thing she would always say whenever your father and I went off out of the village without her. In reality you see, when she would say that, it meant she wanted to do the same thing you were doing!" He laughed again and remembered the way Chiharu looked every time they wouldn't listen to her. Kiyoshi looked at Sakura curiously. She was hesitating about something. "Is there something you'd like to ask me?"

"Um…did you ever tell my mother you loved her?" When she asked this, Sakura wasn't looking at Kiyoshi straight in the eyes. She seemed quite too shy to ask more personal questions regarding himself and his best friends.

Kiyoshi looked out the window. "Of course not. If I did, you wouldn't be here by now."

Sakura glanced back at him.

"You see, your mother and father were arranged to be married."

"What?" Sakura was shocked at this information. "A…arranged marriage?"

Kiyoshi blinked. "Oh damn…" He shook his head. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you that. Don't worry, your parents loved each other very much."

The pink haired girl frowned. "Loved?"

"Oh! Um…they still love each other of course!" He laughed nervously, hoping that Sakura was going to let go about what he said. Kiyoshi took a long deep breath, Sakura watching him intently and rubbed the back of his neck. "Listen, I did love your mother, but in the end, Jounichi has learned to love Chiharu. I knew from the very beginning, Chiharu's heart will always belong to a man like him. He was a lot more outgoing and stronger than I was, so who better than to protect your mother, but your father."

Sakura stood up. "The truth."

"What?"

She grabbed the bag from the floor and slung it on her shoulder. "The other reason why I want to go after my father is to find out the truth from him…and why he's been missing for ten long years. I deserve to know the truth at least, Kiyoshi-san. I will only ask this of you."

Kiyoshi stared deep into her eyes. She was serious and Kiyoshi knew that right there. Once a Haruno…always a Haruno and that's what Kiyoshi has learned from Jounichi all these years.

GoodGurl: So hm…Sakura has decided to go after her father now! As the lady continues to tell Sasuke the story, where will this lead next? Will the author give the readers a SasuSaku as promised? Or will there be more flashbacks? I think I already gave that away in the beginning:P Find out on the next chapter! Please review!