DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Naruto"
Chapter 34: Four
The sound of approaching footsteps stopped outside his cell. The clinking of keys drew his attention and he looked up from his futon as the lock turned and the door swung open. Two ANBU stood outside waiting. He got to his feet. One of the guards walked in and removed his manacles.
"Trial starts today, Uchiha," a muffled voice said from behind a porcelain mask.
A tightness formed in Sasuke's chest.
"Well, come on," said the other, clearly a female. "You're not very pretty to look at now, are ya?"
He scowled at her, but said nothing.
He walked forward and allowed the ANBU to take his arms and escort him down the hall. Like he had a choice—his scowl deepened at that thought. Soon, the female guard left his side and stood at attention near a doorway. He and the male guard continued into a community shower. Sasuke looked at the ANBU with scorn.
"I'm not going anywhere, so don't waste my time," the guard said as he pointed toward one of the showerheads.
Sasuke's mood was darkening. Again, he chose to bite his tongue and simply obey without a fuss—his cooperation might make things go a little smoother.
He pulled off his shirt and grimy sweatpants. The air was cold on his bare skin and goose bumps stated to rise. His feet were careful on the wet floor as he neared the showerhead. There was a bar of soap, a razor, and shaving cream on the floor in the corner. Weeks ago—before he returned to Konoha—he might have refused to use another man's germ-infested soap. Now, after spending weeks in the filth of his cell, that small bar of soap was like a godsend. He turned the knob slowly, yet was sprayed full force with lukewarm water. He cursed under his breath, hating that the water wasn't quite warm enough for his chilled skin.
"One temperature. Sorry," the guard mocked.
A shaky breath escaped through Sasuke's clenched teeth. He bowed his head and allowed the water to run through his greasy hair, shivering all the while. The dark water that pooled around his feet and swirled toward the drain entranced him. The dirt flowing off of his body reminded him of the times he had bathed in blood. Just as the blood of battle stained his clothes, the blackened water was evidence of his life of crime. After a few moments, he reached for the bar of soap and began to scrub every inch of his grimy body. The lather did little to hide the red welts appearing on his skin from washing too hard. He attacked himself with the soap as if his very skin was deplorable and guilty of betraying him. He didn't want to be that man who was always on the run and never satisfied. He wanted to know that he had done right for once in his life. He wanted to fight, not for vengeance, but for justice. So he scrubbed himself as if he were peeling out of an old skin.
It took him nearly twenty minutes before he was satisfied that his body was sufficiently clean. He turned the knob and the shower ceased it spitting. He took the can of shaving cream, sprayed some into his hand, and applied it evenly to the shadow that his face had become. There was a tiny mirror directly under the showerhead that he stared into as he carefully dragged the razor over his face. After finishing, he looked in the mirror again and was slightly surprised to see how young he looked. It was like the stubble had aged him a hundred years and made the stress in his face more evident. Now that it was gone, he once again looked like the young man he was.
Sasuke also noted that his hair had grown quite long. He felt a slight ache in his chest as he looked in the mirror at the long hair with Itachi's own eyes—his brother stared back at him. Maybe he was becoming the man Itachi had wanted him to be. Maybe Sakura was changing him.
Turning around, the ANBU guard handed him a towel. It was rough and barely longer than a hand towel. He rubbed the towel against his dark hair until it was only slightly damp and then moved on to dry his moist skin. It felt wonderful to be clean again. His skin was sore and his hair was coarse, but…he was clean.
After he finished drying himself off, the guard brought him a pile of folded clothes. He quickly got dressed and was pleased to note that the clothing was more proper than what he'd been wearing recently. Charcoal slacks, properly tailored, and a black shirt with sleeves that reached the elbow. Near the entrance of the community shower was a full length mirror. As he observed his appearance, he saw that he looked like an ordinary civilian. An eyebrow arched upwards at the thought. What if that was his punishment, life as a civilian? Would he be able to accept that? He would be giving up everything he had worked so hard for. All those long years of training to be more powerful would go to waste and his family would never get the justice they deserved. He knew that he couldn't accept such a fate. He needed to be a shinobi.
"Come on, Uchiha. You don't want to keep the court waiting."
~.~.~
"Do you sense him?"
Her brows scrunched together as she concentrated harder.
"Well?"
"Shush!" Her eyelids were pressed so tight she was starting to see strange designs on the insides.
Something touched her arm. Her jaw twitched as a tingling heat radiated from her skin.
"Don't bother her. Can't you see she's concentrating?"
"If you ask me, she's not trying hard enough."
Karin's eyes suddenly flew open and she rounded on Suigetsu. "What is your problem?" she hollered.
The obvious shock on Suigetsu's face disappeared as he grinned. "You."
She couldn't breathe. "Idiot!" She punched him square in the face only to have his head liquefy around her fist. She roughly pulled away from him and glared, shoulders hunched and fists balled. "I'm doing all the work! What're you doing, Suigetsu? Shouting orders like you're the boss. I'm sick of it!"
Suigetsu smirked. "You didn't seem to mind being bossed around when Sasuke did it."
Karin groaned. She hadn't thought of Sasuke romantically in quite some time. She couldn't forgive the harsh words he had spoken to her so long ago. And recently…her attention had been elsewhere. Though she was using every ounce of her strength to seek out Sasuke's chakra signature, her mind drifted to other things. She was distracted by her immense dislike of Suigetsu. Whenever he stood next to her, she suddenly felt nervous, sick even. She found herself desiring to prove herself to him. Those thoughts irritated her to no end. It frustrated her that her distraction had become obvious to her two teammates as well.
Suigetsu draped an arm around Karin's shoulders and she stiffened. A rush of heat flooded through her and her stomach filled with bubbles. She found it difficult to keep from squeaking.
"Karin, you know how important it is that we find him," he said nonchalantly. "He's the only one who'll be able to protect us when Madara figures out we've bounced."
Karin looked at him with hard eyes and reddened cheeks. "He already knows, you idiot. There's a team camped outside Konoha's wall right this second."
Suigetsu's pointed teeth became visible when he grimaced. "They're after us?"
"Probably." She pushed him away. "But I'm not sure. They arrived soon after we did, but they haven't tried to find us yet."
"Where are they?" Juugo asked quietly.
"By the western gate," Karin replied as she pointed.
Juugo looked in the direction she indicated and his face became solemn. "Maybe they're here to attack the village."
"What?"
"Perhaps Madara believes that Sasuke has betrayed him. It would make sense to destroy the place that holds Sasuke's loyalty." Juugo turned toward his teammates and frowned.
"Or maybe they're here to rendezvous with Sasuke. Ever think of that?" Karin asked shrilly. "It was his goal to destroy Konoha, remember?"
Suigetsu sighed. "No…it wasn't."
Karin's piercing gaze searched him. "Are you still holding on to this idea that Sasuke is with a friend?"
"What I didn't tell you before is that his friend…well, she—"
"She?" Karin just managed not to hiss. Her fist clenched as a knot formed in her stomach.
"Yeah…she." Suigetsu let out a slow breath and scratched the back of his head. "Well…she's in love with Sasuke and, from observing his attitude about her, I'd say that he's got some feelings for her, too."
Karin pursed her lips and turned away so they wouldn't see the anger on her face. "Really," she replied evenly, though it felt as though her heart had cracked. She had thought she was over him. She thought she had been angry enough to forget about him.
"Now, Karin, don't go thinking that she's the reason he rejected you."
She looked back at him.
"He just couldn't stand you." Suigetsu laughed loudly.
She wanted to cry. Did Suigetsu really think so lowly of her? She gritted her teeth and pounced at him. "You moron!"
Juugo looked toward the village. "Stop behaving like children," he said. "We need to be alert for enemies."
Karin pulled away from Suigetsu and dusted off her clothing. "Fine. But make him keep his mouth shut."
Suigetsu glared at her.
Karin ignored him and turned to Juugo. "I can only sense the faintest trace of Sasuke's chakra. It's very weak. Should we infiltrate the village?" There was silence as Juugo and Suigetsu looked at each other. "Well?"
"Uh…" Suigetsu looked dumbfounded before his mouth cracked into a large grin. "Sasuke always made the decisions. I'm not—"
Karin's fists clenched. "You've been bossing us around throughout the entire journey! Are you telling me you don't know what to do now that we've found him?"
"Calm down, Karin," Juugo said wearily.
She let out a harsh breath through her nose. "Hopeless," she said between her teeth.
"We should wait and see what the Akatsuki are planning," Juugo said, but Karin could tell he was struggling with his own idea.
"Fine with me," she replied and then jumped into a nearby tree to get a better vantage point incase the Akatsuki did decide to attack. Well…that would be her excuse if anyone asked. In truth, she wanted some time to herself. She felt so confused by the mix of emotions she was feeling. She was angry about Sasuke and felt rejected by Suigetsu.
She hated boys. Truly hated them.
~.~.~
Sakura stood in the barren streets of the Uchiha district. Her feet were frozen to the stones just inside the gate. She looked at each building with wide eyes. She didn't want to be there. She didn't want to walk through the ghost town that was the Uchiha district. She didn't want to walk to 1-9-6 Sekitan Street and see that house. She didn't want it to be real.
She rubbed her hands down the length of her arms to banish the chills that prickled her skin. As a young girl she had memorized the streets to her crush's home as if it were as important as an Academy assignment. Now, her head swiveled in all directions as she looked around as if for the first time. It was disconcerting to know that this place was somehow part of the secret the Elders were hiding. She was somewhat excited to be there again…but the tragedy of the Uchiha massacre was so heavy, it weighed down her giddy sense of nostalgia.
Slowly, after finding her courage, Sakura took a step forward. She continued through the neighborhood hesitantly—the anxiety building in her stomach was making her nauseous. Along the road and even on the walls were the faded stains of death. The dark splatters showed where blood had been spilt…where Uchiha Itachi had killed. Sakura shuddered. Despite her discomfort, she continued through the streets until she arrived at her destination.
1-9-6 Sekitan Street was the largest manor within the district. A long time ago, it was home to the clan head and his family. Once upon a time, it was home to an innocent young boy named Uchiha Sasuke. And then…everything changed. That little boy was now a criminal because his brother took everything from him. Sakura stared at the building in awe. She didn't want to be there. She couldn't intrude on whatever secrets Sasuke might have inside that house. But…she had to in order to complete her mission. Whatever secrets that manor held, they would aid her in finding out what the Elders were hiding.
Sakura let out a slow breath. She reminded herself that Sasuke hadn't lived in the building since his family was murdered. Though he would be furious if he ever found out she went snooping around in his family's home, it was for his benefit. At least, she hoped what she learned would benefit him.
Why can't he just tell me what he knows? Sakura wondered, but she knew his trust was a fragile thing. And she knew that his trust in her…she was about to break it. Tightness clenched her heart like a hand squeezing it. His life was more important than his trust in her…but she treasured his trust so much and it hurt to think she was giving it up.
After a moment of indecision, she finally willed her legs to move. Approaching the gate, Sakura noted the rusted hinges. She channeled some chakra into a hard push and the old gate squealed at it opened slightly. There was just enough space for her to slip through. The yard was overgrown with weeds, dandelions, and long grass. The manor itself looked no worse for the neglect it had suffered. It was still a beautiful building.
Carefully sliding one of the shoji screens, she entered the dark confines of the manor. The stagnant air smelled of dust and mildew. Sakura grimaced and put her hand against her nose as the stench filled her nostrils. She turned to the wall just to her left to find a light switch. Flicking it upward, she was unsurprised to see that the electricity was off. Digging in her nin-pouch, Sakura found a small flashlight and turned it on. The bright beam of light colored the hardwood floors a strange gray and she saw that the room was empty. She walked forward until her small light revealed a large, black stain on the floor. The flashlight fell from her grip as she quickly stepped back in surprise, almost stumbling in the process. The room was once again bathed in shadow, with only the dim light shining through the shoji screens.
This was where Sasuke's parents were killed.
Shutting her eyes as a moment of grief overtook her, Sakura fell to her knees and sucked in a shuddering breath. She shouldn't have done this. There were so many memories—so many ghosts—in the house and she felt like she was, in no way, a part of it. She didn't belong there. She hadn't been invited there. She was intruding on a child's nightmare, on the nightmare of the man she loved. She had always dreamed he would share everything with her—past, present, future—and now, she felt as though she had stolen his chance to do so. She had stumbled into the room where his life had changed forever, where he had watched the blood flow from the parents who loved him. She couldn't imagine. She couldn't understand…and yet, somehow, that made her feel as though she knew him just a little better.
The floor where she sat seemed to have become a sort of quicksand, sucking her deeper into her grief and making her immobile. Taking a calming breath, she willed her heart to stop racing. Though her desire to discover the truth was strong, she was so afraid to continue into the mystery of the Uchiha home. It felt like all her insides were being cut and twisted by razor wires. Her lungs tingled as she sucked in air.
Sakura closed her eyes and envisioned Sasuke as he once was, young and full of potential. She thought of who he had become, someone strong, but lost in his own self-destruction. When he came back home, she had watched carefully as he began to change into someone new, someone different from the masochistic avenger. His freedom and happiness were hanging in the balance. She had the opportunity to do something to help him. This was her chance to do something for him that mattered. She could make sure he was never alone again.
Sakura summoned the Will of Fire from the depths of her soul. She felt the heat rising through her, banishing the shadows that lurked like ghosts. She felt the fear shrink beneath the blinding light of her resolve. Her eyes sparkled valiantly as she willed her body to overcome the cowardice that gripped her heart. With steely determination, Sakura rose from the ground like a phoenix from the ashes. Her steps were deliberate as she strode through the room and into the next.
Her eyes scanned everything with the intention of committing what she saw to memory. She burned the images into her mind, careful to remember every little detail. She wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for, but—for Sasuke's sake—she'd find out.
As she walked through one of the larger rooms of the home, a shimmer near the mantle caught her eye. She stopped in place and looked fully at the object and saw that it was an ornate kunai. She neared to get a better look and found that the tool was beautiful. The blade was cast of stainless steel and had a unique tip. It was decorated with delicate etchings and the hilt was wrapped in red ribbon with bells hanging from the ends. She reverently lifted the kunai from its display and examined the Kanji characters near the hilt.
"True Sight," she mumbled curiously.
She frowned and set the kunai back on its display, just as it had been before. She was about to walk away, when it struck her as odd that the kunai would be displayed so that the blade faced the wall diagonally, casting the inscription in shadow instead of in full view. She followed the direction of the point and touched the wall where it ended. The texture was strange, different from the surrounding area. She chewed on her lip as she intently studied the difference. Beneath her fingers, she began to notice a pattern of bumps and grooves. Her mind quickly decoded what she was feeling and realized there was a message in the wall. It also said True Sight. There was more to the message, but it continued into the wall behind the mantle which surprised her. The mantle was not a part of the wall, but a separate piece of its own.
Allowing her chakra to flow freely through her arms, Sakura pulled the mantle away from the wall. As she squeezed between the space of the mantle and wall, one of the floorboards shifted under her foot. Curious, she stopped and kneeled. She gently ran her fingers down the length of the floorboard and found that three of its sides were loose. Intrigued all the more, she studied the board attached to the loose one's long side and found that it too was loose—and it was connected to yet another board. Her eyes widened at the discovery. At closer examination, she noticed a sort of lock on one of the boards. And suddenly, it all made sense. She grabbed the kunai from the display and stuck the unique point into the lock. There was a muffled click indicating the tumblers had turned. She stuck her own kunai between the trapdoor and the floor and, using it as a form of leverage, she was able to lift the trapdoor from the floor and reveal an old ladder. She quickly glanced over her shoulder and then reprimanded herself for being silly. Of course no one was watching her.
Gripping the flashlight between her teeth, Sakura lowered one leg down into the hidden chamber until her foot came to rest against one of the ladder's steps. She tested the stability of the step and, when satisfied it would hold her weight, her other leg followed the first. She climbed down and found herself in an even darker room. She pulled the flashlight from her mouth and aimed it into the room. Against the far wall was a large wooden chest and, beside it, a writing desk.
Sakura let out a silent breath as a cold sweat formed on her skin. This was what she'd been looking for. She was certain of it.
~.~.~
Sasuke sat at the front of the courtroom alone, hands unbound, but beneath the stares of the villagers, he felt like a caged dragon on display. It was all he could do to keep the anxiety from showing on his face.
There were so many people, a lot of them he didn't recognize. The shinobi were seated in the front rows, while the civilians crowded the back. He hadn't expected his hearing to be so scandalous an affair that everyone in the Leaf would come to see it. Why such interest? He hadn't done anything to harm the village. He hadn't killed any of Konoha's shinobi. Why was everyone so curious to see what his punishment would be?
He noticed that Kakashi and Naruto sat in the very front row, but there was one person missing—a certain pink-haired kunoichi. And she was the one person he wished, more than anything, was there.
Tsunade finally looked up from the file in her hand. She sighed. "Uchiha Sasuke, I've reviewed your file extensively. You are charged with treason."
He kept the scowl from his face. He didn't need to make things worse.
"Do you have an argument to prove yourself innocent?"
Sasuke looked from Tsunade's almond eyes to the faces of the Elders to her left. If only the chakra inhibitor was gone, he would kill them where they sat. Unfortunately, his careful planning had been mocked and made useless. The blood in his veins sped up with the desire to see them dead and he clenched his fists until it hurt. He forced himself to look away and back at the woman who served as his judge.
"I'll say the same words I spoke to you on my return. I left to exact revenge on a traitor and managed to kill three enemies of Konoha—Orochimaru, Deidara, and…" He hesitated. It was impossible for him to think of his brother as an enemy—a traitor—after what he had learned. However, the citizens of Konoha didn't know what he knew.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Uchiha?"
He took a breath and cleared his throat. "And Uchiha Itachi." He clenched his teeth momentarily as he looked down at the table. When his eyes again met the Godaime's, it was with fire and tenacity. "I did Konoha a favor."
"Arrogant boy!" The woman, Koharu, stood. "You left the village without permission and trained under Orochimaru. I've heard rumors that you not only joined the Akatsuki, but captured the Eight-Tails as well."
Sasuke's mouth pulled into a tight line. "Who told you these rumors?"
"That's none of your concern," Homura said, in a mocking gentleness. "Can you deny these accusations?"
His eyes shifted between the expectant, impatient faces of the Council. They didn't deserve anything from him. He owed them no explanation.
"Answer him, Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke turned to look at the last of the Council. Danzo. He was the one who had given Itachi his orders. He was the man who had destroyed his life. His eyes narrowed hatefully. Air raced through his lungs as fury accelerated his pulse. His fingers curled with the desire to release a fatal Chidori. But…he couldn't. After a moment, logic once again returned to his crazed mind. The best way to crush the Council would be to avoid prison.
He took a breath. "My time with the Akatsuki was not by choice. I awoke from my battle with Itachi in Madara—"
"Madara? Do you mean Uchiha Madara?"
"Homura-sama, please let the accused finish," Tsunade said irritably. She looked back at Sasuke and nodded.
He unclenched his jaw and continued. "I was…detained. Madara required my team and I to capture the Eight Tails for him. He threatened to kill us otherwise. Although, I did attempt to capture the Eight Tails, he was able to escape by using a substitute. I handed the substitute to Madara and left the Akatsuki to return home."
He looked over at Danzo and saw skepticism lingering on his wrinkled face. Sasuke felt a slight satisfaction tickle him. He knew everything…he had leverage. Danzo could suspect, but he would never know if Madara had revealed the truth to the youngest Uchiha. He couldn't say a word, lest he incriminate himself. Sasuke had the upper hand and it fed his hunger for justice.
"Boy."
His eyes returned to the figure of the old woman.
"During your time with the two Uchihas, did they…speak to you?"
Homura and Danzo looked at the woman with warning in their eyes. Tsunade looked over, her brows lowered and her mouth taut with a frown. She looked ready to shoot arrows from her tongue.
Sasuke fought the smirk attempting to lift his mouth. "How is that relevant to this trial?" he asked evenly.
"Perhaps they revealed information about our enemies…or secrets about Konoha?" the woman pushed.
His eyebrow arched upwards. The woman was either very bold or very stupid. How did such a reckless woman come to be a part of Konoha's Council? Frowning, he looked at Tsunade. Her brown eyes watched him intently, searching his face for the answers he knew she was seeking. He couldn't tell. He needed to get justice for his clan…she couldn't provide it. So he couldn't speak, not yet.
"They said nothing." His pulse raced as he dared the Elders to argue against his statement. "I am not an enemy of Konoha."
Koharu looked absolutely unconvinced, but she was at least smart enough to say nothing more on the subject. Tsunade closed her eyes and let out a weary sigh. She turned to the Elders. Each of their suspicious faces was trained on the young man seated before them. Sasuke wondered if he was being foolish by not speaking about what he knew. He could tell the whole village what the Elders had done…but the Elders could argue that they did it to stop a civil war. And even if they didn't argue, there was no guarantee that anyone would believe him.
"The court will take a half hour recess," Tsunade announced. She stared right through Sasuke and he could see in her piercing gaze that she knew he had lied. She knew there was something he was hiding.
~.~.~
Sakura raced from the Uchiha district as fast as her feet could carry her. In her speed, the colors of the village were but streaks to her eyes and the breeze cut around her figure in a fury of wind. It was important she report her findings to someone—anyone. Oddly, it seemed there was no one in town. Realizing how strange that was, Sakura relaxed her stride until she came to a stop. She looked in all directions with a frown on her face. Where was everyone?
She spotted Kotetsu and Izumo headed out of town.
"Hey, Sakura!" Kotetsu greeted.
"Hey," she replied distractedly.
Izumo's brow furrowed when he noticed Sakura's frantic behavior. "Everything all right?"
"Uh…well, not exactly," she replied quietly. "I can't really talk about it…here."
"Oh," Izumo said in understanding. "Better off I suppose. We're on our way to relieve the other guards."
Sakura nodded and then her eyes darted around. "Where is everyone?"
Kotetsu scratched at the bandage on his cheek. "I guess they didn't tell you, huh?"
Sakura looked at him.
"Today's the trial."
Her jade eyes doubled in size. "Today?"
Kotetsu and Izumo exchanged nervous glances. Sakura violently pushed past the two and began sprinting, this time toward the courthouse. Of all days to schedule the trial, they'd chosen today. If they could've waited one day more…
Sakura pumped her legs with chakra and jumped to the rooftops. After only a few moments, she spotted the courthouse and turned in its direction. She pushed her way through the exiting crowd like a fish swimming upstream. Her heart clenched when she realized that the hearing was over.
She was too late.
Out of nowhere, a blond boy pulled her into a gentle embrace. Shocked, it took Sakura a moment to respond to the arms holding her and the hair in her face. And suddenly, all her fears came to the surface. Her hands reached up to clutch his shoulders and she buried her head against his neck. Salty water filled her eyes as she choked on a sob. Naruto gripped her tighter as she began to tremble and he allowed her tears to stain his jacket.
"Sakura-chan," he mumbled sadly.
She pulled away to look into his blue eyes. There weren't any tears present, but there was anger. "He won't be executed?" she asked hesitantly.
"No."
"No, but he's in for a rough time," Kakashi commented as he appeared from the crowd of bodies.
Sakura looked at her old sensei and saw, in his lone eye, that he was tired. "What do you mean? What's his sentence?"
Kakashi looked away for a moment, his head tilting back as he gazed into the cloudy sky. When he looked back at her, it was with such sorrow, her heart stopped.
Naruto placed his hands on her shoulders as he spoke. "Four years of prison and four weeks of…torture and interrogation, each year."
"If, at the end of his four years, they decide he's been uncooperative, he'll be sentenced for life," Kakashi added.
"What! How can they do that?" Sakura asked. "Tsunade said—"
"Tsunade had to come up with a compromise that would please the Council," Kakashi said firmly. "They want him dead."
Sakura bit the insides of her cheeks to keep from saying anything in front of Naruto. She hated that he wasn't a part of the mission. She took a scrap of paper from her nin-pack and held it out for Kakashi. His visible eye looked at her hand and then back to her.
"Take it. Show Tsunade-shishou." She looked out toward the sun to gage the time of day. "I have to see him."
~.~.~
Sasuke sat on the futon he'd grown familiar with. He supposed the cell was going to be his new home for the next few years. He growled and slammed his fist into the hard mattress. No. He was going to find a way to escape. He would find a way to get the justice his people deserved. Letting out a huff of air, he buried his face in his hands.
"Sasuke."
He looked up at the sound of her voice. Sakura stood at his cell with slumped shoulders and tears streaming down her face. He got up and went to her, the chains connecting him to the wall rattled with each step he took. The sound weighed on his heart and he had to stop from wincing with every footfall.
He looked into Sakura's pale face. He'd missed her and he was at least thankful that he was still allowed to see her. He brought a hand to her face and gently wiped away her tears. She gave a small smile and leaned into his warm hand, cupping it with her own. His chest tightened. He had only seen her so upset a handful of times and each of those times had centered on his leaving or absence. There was a familiar self-loathing that dimmed her green eyes, a regret that he didn't understand. Anger filled him. If the bars were not there, he could wrap his arms around her and comfort her.
He knew then, that he loved her.
He had thought that Tsunade was going to keep him from prison. He had thought she could've made it possible. Apparently…he had been wrong.
"Sakura, I—"
"I'm so sorry," she whispered as more tears leaked from her eyes.
He was speechless for a moment as his heart wrenched in his chest. Finally, words came to his mind that he hoped would bring some comfort to her. "This isn't your fault."
"But if I had been faster, if I hadn't been so afraid…"
"Afraid of what, Sakura?"
She looked at him, dread evident in her glassy eyes. "I…I went to your home."
He closed his eyes and tried to force down the resentment that started eating him. How could she? How could she go digging through his past?
"Why?" he tried not to growl.
She turned away. "My investigation led me there." She swallowed thickly. "I know about the coup d'état."
He looked at her with furrowed brows. "How?"
"I found the trap door and all the documents detailing the plan," she answered meekly.
He felt heat rising to his skin and dryness in his throat. His insides clenched when he thought that she must think of his clan as monsters.
"One minute!" a voice echoed down the hall.
Sakura frowned, looking distraught. "Perhaps, if I had been a day sooner, the new evidence would have delayed your trial."
"How would it have helped? It would have been one more strike against me."
Sakura drew closer to the bars and reached for his face, touching him tenderly. "It would have given me more time to find out what the Elders are hiding. Why they fear you so much." She retracted her arm and turned toward the end of the tunnel. "I think there might still be a way to reverse this."
Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed. Sakura was ever the optimist, despite the danger she was putting herself in. He knew it was time to tell her. It was time to let her know the answers she was desperately searching for, because there was no way she was going to discover it on her own.
"Sakura—"
"Time's up!"
She looked at him and gave the tiniest of hopeful smiles and all he could do was believe in her for the time being. He would tell her what she needed to know when she next visited. Both that the Elders had murdered his family…and that he loved her.
A/N: Hey all, I'm back! Sorry it took so long, I've been preoccupied with SSM stuff. So far I've written one story for each week, except week 4 which I'm working on now. I do hope that you like this extra long chapter though. It seems like the deeper we go, the more indepth and longer we get. Which I'm sure everyone is pleased with. So we're getting pretty close to the end. Sad face. It's almost been a year since I started this thing, and I'm always surprised at how much it's grown.
Well, thanks are in order. To everyone who reads and reviews, you are AMAZING! To Sakura's Unicorn, thank you for challenging me to be ruthless.
Also, I'm wanting to change the summary of the story and I want your imput. What do you think of the four choices? (There's also a poll on my profile so you can vote)
1. Sasuke turned to leave, but Sakura told him that she knew what it felt like to be alone. She felt it every day he was gone.
2. "Close your eyes," Sasuke said. And then, despite the words burning as they left his mouth, he said, "Turn away, forget about me. Let me be alone."
3. Sakura, Stop your pointless worrying. Orochimaru is dead. Now leave me alone. Sasuke - when all he wants is to be alone, she keeps sending him letters.
4. He couldn't imagine life without her…truly without her. No more soft smiles. No more secret gestures. No more letters that ended with 'love always.' He would be truly alone.