Holding Her Last Breath: Just 3 Days
I'm sort of mad. I've estimated the amount of chapters it will probably take to finish this up, and everything should've added up to 15.
Should've.
But because I'm completely and utterly RETARDED (I had writer's block) it might be a chapter or so more.
By now, my readers are probably looking at this screen and saying, "You love to write and we like this story, so having another chapter to write isn't bad at all."
True, it's not bad. And I've loved every minute of writing this story since it's actually my very first fic SasuxSaku I decided to write. But (and this was the same with Rose) I like to have my stories a certain length, because I have O.C.D (obsessive compulsive disorder XD.) with odd numbers unless they end in 5 (and maybe the number 43...). Which is why Rose ended in 45.
…I wonder if anyone reads my ridiculously long author notes XD…
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"No matter what I do, I'm always a nuisance to you, ne Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke awoke the next morning with a jolt. Raven hair fell into his face as he sat up, but was surprised and relieved to feel a pair of hands wrap tightly around his bare chest.
His mouth curled upward (only slightly) as he turned to stroke the hair of the (naked) pink headed girl laying beside him. Viridian eyes fluttered open to glance up at him before a sleepy smile grazed her lips.
"Ohayo, Sasuke-kun." she said sleepily as he bent to kiss her forehead. "Aah." he replied before he got up to get dressed.
Sasuke threw on a pair of boxers carelessly. But as he picked up a tee to put on he felt a pair of eyes staring lustfully at him. He smirked before turned his head around to look at the woman still lying in his bed, ogling him shamelessly.
"Do you like what you see, Sakura?" the man asked her haughtily before she smiled and closed her eyes. "Mmhmm. Very much actually." she replied. Her mind wandered to the events of last night and a smirk curled at her lips.
"I liked what I saw last night even more." Sakura purred wickedly. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk.
"You mean felt?"
"Mmh, that too."
Snort. "That's an understatement."
"Really?"
"Aah."
"And how can you be so sure, arrogant Uchiha?"
Smirk.. "You're screams."
Sakura blushed furiously at this. 'I WAS a little loud last night…I hope I didn't leave the windows open…' she admitted to herself quietly as he walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it. "What can I say, you're quite the lover Sasuke-kun."
'I'm sure all of Konoha knows that now, Sakura.' Inner Sakura snickered as Sasuke chuckled and dipped his head down to murmur seductively in her ear. "Hn. You're not so bad yourself, Sakura."
"Oh, I know. You were pretty loud yourself." the woman smirked.
"H-Hn." Sasuke grunted and turned away as an attempt to hide his blush. He Watched her from the corner of his eye when he felt her shift.
Sakura was no longer laying down but sitting up. The woman positioned herself against his bare back as she sat on her feet and snaked her hands around his well-built frame. He held back a grunt at the closeness as he felt her hands wander all across his chest. "Sakura, what are you doing?" he asked when her hands began to travel downward.
"Nothinggg." she purred evilly as she nibbled on her ear and touched him. "Sakura…" Sasuke idly heard himself mumble threateningly as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
"Hmm? What is it Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked him innocently as she moved her fingers over him in tantalizing motions . "You-know what." Sasuke growled in response.
"Do you want me to stop…?" The kunoichi asked him in an alluring tone as she began to pull back. But smirked inwardly when he jerked her wrist back, causing her to crash into him. Sasuke looked at her from over his shoulder, eyes seeming darker than usual, but said nothing.
Slowly, her hands slipped past his boxers and wrapped around him. But just as she did so Sakura heard a slam of the door and a familiar and loud voice calling to them.
"SAKURA-CHANNNNN, SASUKE-TEME!!" Sung the voice as it called to them called clearly, even though they were in the back of the house. Sasuke growled under his breath. He was starting to believe that the world was out to get him.
Sakura laughed as she withdrew her hands and hurried out of the bed to throw on a tank top, panties, and a pair of short pajama shorts.
Sasuke raised a raven brow in amusement. "No bra?" He asked her curiously before she pecked him on the lips with a smile. "I wouldn't be able to even if I wanted to. Naruto should be coming through that door in…3...2...1-"
And as if on cue the cheery blonde barged into the room. A fox-like grin appeared on his features as he looked at his former teammates. Sakura returned his smile. "Good morning Naruto."
Though Sasuke wasn't, Sakura was more than used to her goofy friend barging in on them at random times.
"N-Naruto-kun are they decent?" Hinata asked quietly from outside the door. Even though she accompanied him into their house, Hinata was polite and sophisticated and enjoy barging in on her friends.
Especially after the "commotion" she and all of Konoha had heard the night before.
Naruto grinned even wider at his wife as he pulled her into the room. "O' course Hinata-chan!" but he paused to smirk at the couple slyly. "But I wouldn't have been surprised if they weren't… teme must be pretty good to make you scream like that, huh Sakura-cha-"his voice became muffled and lost as a pillow sailed towards him and hit him dead square in the face.
It had been thrown with so much force that the poor man had been thrown out of the room and hit the opposite wall with a loud thud.
Sasuke stared at Sakura's cherry red face as she huffed in embarrassment. "S-Shut up Naruto!" she commanded as she picked up another pillow. Hinata hurried over to her husband.
"You shouldn't say those things, Naruto-kun." she scolded him gently as she draped an arm around his waist to help him up. "Gomen, Hinata-chan…" the man mumbled painfully as he rubbed his cheek.
"Jeez Sakura-chan…I'm glad I'm not one of your enemies…that coulda killed me!" he mumbled under his breath before re-entering the room.
Sakura hmmphed before looking away. Sasuke only chuckled quietly. 'Some things never change…' he mused.
"What did you want anyway?" the woman asked as she opened one viridian eye to look at him.
Naruto opened his mouth to speak but immediately ended up closing it as a puzzled expression crossed his features…"Umm…" he paused to scratch his head and laugh sheepishly. "Eheheheh…I forgot…"
Sakura's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "You better start remembering right NOW." she commanded. Naruto laughed nervously before turning around to whisper to Hinata, "Hinata-chan! What were we here for again?"
The lavender-eyed woman sighed as she looked at her utterly clueless husband. "Their engagement and how we're celebrating later today!" she whispered back.
Cobalt eyes lit up as he pecked her on the cheek in gratitude before facing the very scary looking kunoichi and the raven-haired boy that had a gleam in his eyes that seemed to say, wonder-what-she's-going-to-do-if-he-doesn't-remember.
Naruto grinned as he slung an arm around Hinata lazily and it made her blush. "We came to tell you congratulations!" he answered. Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other before turning back to the smiling couple.
"Huh?"
"We heard about teme proposing to you Sakura-chan!" Naruto explained. Hinata nodded. "A-Actually, all of Konoha knows."
Sakura smiled while Sasuke looked away in an attempt to hide the almost visible blush on his cheeks. "Arigato, you two." Sakura said before walking up to them and giving each a hug then paused when she realized what the heiress had said.
"What do you mean…all of Konoha? Better yet…how did YOU two find out? It was just last night."
"W-Well, there was a forward going around with a picture of you two…we got it this morning." Hinata replied timidly as she pulled out her purple cell phone.
Emerald eyes widened as a blush spread across her cheeks. It was indeed a picture of them. The two were in each others arms and giving each other a powerful, loving kiss. Included in the picture was the engagement ring Sasuke had given her, and it shone in the moonlight.
Whoever had taken the picture had been sure to include it. Below the picture held the words: Will Konoha get Uchiha babies soon?! Behold the love between Uchiha Sasuke and Sakura, Konoha's newest ENGAGED couple!!
Sakura then realized the number: 466-9262. (a/n: On a cell it actually spells, INO YAMA XD.)
"Ino…" she growled under her breath. If she was behind it, then every person in Konoha (maybe even Suna) with a cell phone knew of the engagement!
Naruto and Hinata took a step back. "A-Anno….she said she has to tell all of us s-something, and since you two are engaged, we all decided to celebrate later today!" the heiress added with a tiny smile. Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, Yeah!! How about we all get dr-"
"No." Sasuke growled as he came up behind Sakura and wrapped an arm around her waist possessively. Normally, Sasuke didn't mind having a few drinks with the guys, but if Sakura was accompanying him he'd prefer not to. He was very much aware of her "popularity" among the male population.
Sakura smiled, knowing right away what Sasuke was thinking. But she wasn't conscious of how jealous he was. Not like she minded. She really hated the bar and the lustful stares she received when Tsunade dragged her and Shizune with her.
The two never drunk, so normally the two would talk amongst themselves so the two were close. Shizune did, though, ignore all rumors pertaining to her and Kakashi being an "item". Even if the two were occasionally spotted together.
"N-Naruto-kun, we all agreed to meet at the coffee shop later since Neji nii-san and Tenten are bringing Miya…" Hinata whispered to him remindingly. "Heheh…sorry Hinata-chan…" Naruto mumbled before turning back to the couple standing in front of them.
"So? How bout it?" He asked with a grin. Sakura put a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "I don't know… I have a mission later tonight."
Sasuke's features turned into a frown. Would Sakura be alright even though she was scheduled to die on that mission?
He closed his dark eyes to calm himself. 'She'll be alright. I saved her.' he thought reassuringly. But he couldn't deny the nagging thought in the back of his mind that told him he didn't. When he opened his eyes, he found that Naruto was attempting to convince her.
"C'mon Sakura-chan! You gotta go!!" Naruto protested as he shook her shoulders gently. Sakura couldn't hold back her laugh as she pulled away from him. "Alright, alright! As long as we celebrate in the evening…"
"Yoisho!!" the blonde cheered.
"We'll call you about the d-details later." Hinata told them with a smile before she turned to push Naruto out of the door. "Let's go Naruto-kun."
"What? But Hinata-chan…" he protested.
"Naruto-kun."
"A-Ah…gomen Hinata-chan…" they heard him whimper before their voices could no longer be heard. Which made them curious as to what she had done.
"She's really got a hold of him, hasn't she, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked the man still holding her waist. "Hn." he replied before he buried his face into her neck and took in the smell of her strawberry scented hair.
She reached over her shoulder so she could run a hand through his spiky ends. A smile creased on her lips. "You know, no one would believe me if I told them you were sweet and romantic, Sasuke-kun."
He smirked against her neck. "Good." he answered. The Uchiha planned to live up to his "cool" and collected reputation. The kunoichi turned around to give him a quick kiss before slipping out of his grasp. "I'm going to take a shower." she told him before disappearing out of the room, despite his silent protests.
"Sasuke-kun," she purred to him as her voice began to get fainter. "Aren't you coming?"
Sasuke frowned. What an evil woman she was. Then he smirked. He wasn't going to let her have her way this time. Oh no, (Uchiha) Sakura was going to learn that this Uchiha was not going to be controlled by an alluring…seductive…
"Sasuke-kunnnn," Sakura called to him again. Want lined her voice this time.
Damn her. For tempting him again.
Suddenly, Sakura appeared in front of him and led (dragged) him into the shower. Sasuke allowed the steamy water to hit his skin as Sakura pulled him down for a kiss. But as he wrapped his arms around her waist tightly and pushed her against one of the tiled walls Sasuke contemplated if he'd really show her that he loved her.
'Of course I did,' he told himself as the woman in his arms ran her fingers through his now hopelessly flat raven locks and began nibbling on his lower lip. What else could he do? He proposed to her, which meant he loved her enough to spend the rest of his life with her. She alone would be the woman to help him restore his clan and mother his children…
That was enough, wasn't it?
Absently he began to undress her while nibbling at her neck which made her moan in response. If it was enough, why didn't feel like he did?
And why…why had he had that dream?
It was a strange dream. Unlike the others. He didn't re-live the normal memory of her dying; with her cradled in his arms, and asking him if it was alright for her to die in his arms. No, this…seemed different. Much different than before.
"Sasuke-kun…" murmured a familiar, weakened, pain-filled voice. Emerald eyes over spilling with tears suddenly came into his view. Ugly, purple bruises lined her face, one of her eyes were swollen so it sagged, half of her pink hair had been chopped short; as if she had barely escaped a kunai and paid the price with it, and spatters of blood stained her cheeks as it ran with her tears.
Why…was she crying? Was she still dying or just injured?
Sasuke grabbed one of her locks with shaky fingers. "Your…hair…" he murmured as more tears fell from her eyes. "That doesn't matter right now!!" she yelled hysterically at him as she grabbed his wrist.
Why hadn't it mattered? And why were his fingers shaking? Normally he kept his composure in every situation…
"Why…Why did you…" Sakura paused to lowered her head. "You've always protected me…no matter what I do I'm always a nuisance to you…ne, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke frowned against her now bare skin. What had that dream meant? Was it like the others, telling him that Sakura's was going to die?
But it didn't feel like it…in fact, it actually seemed like-
But his thoughts were abruptly interrupted when he felt a pair of tiny hands touch his face to lift his head up. Onyx eyes met questionable emerald ones. "Sasuke-kun? What's wrong?"
Onyx eyes blinked before averting from her gaze. "It's nothing." he told her quietly. Sakura frowned and grabbed either sides of his face so he was forced to stare at her again. "Don't lie to me. You look worried about something…" Sakura told him with strain in her voice.
"Sasuke-kun, onegai! Why won't you answer me?" Sakura asked when he didn't answer her. Hurt seemed to line her voice. "Don't you….trust me?"
Something inside Sasuke cringed. So much pain filled her emerald eyes…would he ever stop hurting her? Even when he was trying his hardest not to, he was worrying her with his silly dreams…
But they had seemed to real. Almost too real to be called dreams. Kami, when would they ever stop? Did heaven LIKE to torture him? If only he could tell her that he was worried about her.
Sasuke touched her face softly. "Of course I trust you." he replied more roughly than he wanted. But her expression didn't soften. "Then tell me!" she pleaded. Sakura paused to wrap one of her arms around his neck while the other pulled his head down so she could embrace him.
"Please…" Sakura pleaded softly and it made him stiffen with guilt. After a few minutes Sasuke closed his eyes and buried his face into her wet pink locks. "I'm afraid…"
Sakura flinched at the sound of his voice as his grip around her waist tightened with need. 'Afraid to lose you again.' he thought to himself but didn't dare say it aloud.
A tiny smile curled at her lips as her insides seemed to melt. He was finally opening up…
Sakura ran a hand through his raven locks as she closed her emerald eyes. She knew that he was talking about his nightmares that were happening a lot more lately. Perhaps it was because he was worried about her?
"I know you've been having nightmares lately, Sasuke-kun." she explained to him while he stiffened. She put a hand on his chin so he could meet her jade gaze.
"But they're just bad dreams, ne?"
"Aah." Sasuke replied as she lowered her head into his neck and held him close to her. "Then there's nothing to worry about. Nothing is going to happen to me or you, Sasuke-kun. Everything is going to be alright…"
The raven-haired man he cupped her chin and kissed her softly. Though her words were reassuring, Sasuke couldn't help but have a tiny bit of doubt eating away at his thoughts.
But he shook them off. They were dreams, not premonitions, right? He was just being paranoid…
"Sore wo kobamu you ni sekai wa yurete..."
Sakura heard her phone ringing from their bedroom after they finished their shower. Quickly, Sakura wrapped her body in a soft white towel, pecked Sasuke on the cheek, and ran to go get it. Which left Sasuke to dry off in silence and sort out his thoughts.
"Mattaku…would it kill you to smile once and awhile?" Inari asked as she suddenly appeared on the sink. Sasuke's dark pools looked at her in annoyance before closing his eyes. "I have to get back to Sakura. You don't need to come anymore."
Inari frowned. "Oh?"
He turned to look at her again as he held up the towel wrapped around his lower half. "Aah. I saved her."
The angel said nothing as she closed eyes. "I'd hate to break it to you, Sasuke, but I'm afraid you didn't."
x
The worst feeling in the world…
Is knowing that the one you love is going to leave you.
And no matter what you say
And no matter what you do
You can't stop them.
x
TBC…
I'm disappointed. Sure, this is an AMAZING cliffy (please don't beat your computer screen XD), but I really REALLY wanted to make this longer for you guys. Unfortunately, if I didn't get this up NOW you guys were going to have to wait another day or so. Hence, I decided to just end it with this quote (coughicreateditcough) ".
It's not very good if you think about just a regular relationship, but if you look at Sasuke's situation, it actually makes it a little better XD.
Also, I WILL be co-releasing a 3 chaptered story SOON with my good friend Astrocam .
And Sakura's ringtone is from the Bleach Opening Theme, After Dark by Asian Kun-Fu Generation.
Don't hold your breath…
xxasukachanxx