Forgotten Life

Chapter 4- Getting back the ninja

Sakura was walking with Sasuke through their old training grounds, smiling warmly as she looked around and the wild flowers that grew there. It was springtime so Sakura knew she was dreaming. Sasuke stopped in the center where a small tree was growing. It was about as tall as Sakura's waist and already it bloomed little pink flowers. Sakura. She knew the plant well, after all, it was her name's sake.

"What is this Sasuke? What are we doing out here?" she asked, confused until she looked at his face and his hands. He was holding something and he looked nervous. "Sasuke-kun..." she whispered, a little frightened.

"Sakura, I have to ask you something...," he began as he drew his hands up slowly. He opened his hands to reveal a little black box and as he opened the box, she saw the glint of a diamond ring. "Will you marry me?" he asked looking into her emerald eyes with hope.

Sakura felt the fear come even before her fantasy disappeared and was replaced with a time many years ago. He was leaving again, walking away from her even though she was chasing after him, begging him not to leave, pleading with him to stay.

"I love you so much Sasuke-kun!" she exclaimed through her tears as the rain poured around them. Her wet hair stuck to her face and hid her tears from him now.

This is how her memory had transformed. The rain was not real, it was a figment of her imagination, a symbol of her pain. She had created it after years of hurting over what Sasuke was about to do again.

"Thank you," he said as he appeared behind her and her world turned black.

The pain, not physical, but more dangerous than an actual blade through her heart. His departure, his betrayal, it was the deepest sort of pain she'd ever experienced. The rain was all she heard as she opened her eyes.

A knock sounded on her bedroom door as she sat up in bed and looked out the window. The rain really was pouring down outside. Sometimes Sakura wondered if she was some sort of weather witch. It seemed like every time she was sad, it rained. When she was happy, it was sunny. The knocking interrupted her thoughts again. She sighed and got out of her bed.

She opened the door and was about to fuss at Sasuke for waking her up when she noticed the look on his face. His eyes were wide and he wasn't looking at her face. She followed his eyes down until she was looking down at her clothing. Suddenly, she released the door and covered herself with her hands. She ran away from the door and grabbed her robe.

She quickly put it on, aware that she'd left the bedroom door open. She hoped that Sasuke would respect her and stay outside but she didn't count on it. She was wrong. Sasuke, still in shock at what he had seen and more than a little turned on, stood still waiting for Sakura to return.

She appeared only minutes later in a bath robe, but it at least covered more of her skin than the skimpy lingerie she'd shown him only minutes ago. "What did you want Sasuke?"

"Um...I'm...hungry."

Sakura sighed, forgetting that Sasuke, although once independent would have no memory or knowledge of cooking. So, she walked down the hall and into the kitchen to find something for them to eat.

They were just sitting down to eat their omelets when Sakura's phone rang. It was Naruto. He wanted to see them both at the Hokage tower in an hour. Sakura did not know what he wanted, but she figured it was something stupid. Either way, she agreed to meet with him just because he was her Hokage and her best friend.

So after she and Sasuke finished their breakfast in silence, they began making their way to the Hokage tower. It had stopped raining, almost as ominously as it had started. During their walk, Sakura couldn't help but feel like Sasuke was staring at her. She could feel his eyes on her and she wondered what had him so indulged.

Finally, she could take no more and she turned around infuriated and glared at him. "What are you staring at?" she yelled, causing some people's heads to turn.

Sasuke tensed, and gave her an innocent look. "I-I wasn't staring. I was...admiring."

"Admiring? I've heard that before, right before some stupid man gets punched in the face!" Sakura said, losing her cool.

"I'm sorry. I just...nevermind. I won't do it again, I promise," Sasuke said, seeming hurt by her lack of appreciation for his compliments.

Sakura did not say another word to him the rest of the way to the tower. Seeing his expression, she felt kind of bad for being so mean to him, but the memory of her dream still burned in her mind. There he was, leaving her again, just like she always remembered. No matter who Sasuke was now she could not forget who he was.

Once they got to the Hokage tower, Naruto was waiting for them in his office. Sakura could see why he couldn't leave. There was a stack of paperwork on his desk that was three feet tall. He was reading a scroll when she and Sasuke walked in.

"This had better be important, Naruto...," Sakura grumbled.

"Oh it is. There have been a few threats made upon the village recently and I need every capable body available in the event of a fight. Bottom line: I need you to train Sasuke," Naruto said, getting to the point right away.

"What?" Sakura exclaimed. How did Naruto expect her to do that? And more importantly, why? What if Sasuke rediscovering his abilities caused him to remember everything from his past and he left them again?

"You heard me. Sasuke has had previous training so it shouldn't be difficult. You just need to fight with him and it should come back to him easily. If not, well, you can teach him. You trained Asuki, you can train Sasuke," Naruto said in a very formal and serious tone. There was no hint of pervertedness or mischievousness in his voice which told Sakura she was not getting out of this.

"But Naruto, training Asuki was different. I only taught her medical jutsus and that sort of thing. She already had a basic understanding of the workings of chakra-"

"And so does Sasuke, he just has to remember," Naruto interrupted. Once he'd finished speaking he handed the scroll he'd been reading to Sakura. "It's your mission, you have no choice Sakura-chan," he said, his usual self coming out a little.

Again, Naruto was trying to get them together and now he was using his authority to achieve this goal. Part of Sakura just wanted to pout and throw herself on the floor like a little child until she got her way. The other part, the mature one, told her to accept the mission and walk away, which is what she did.

The mission was simple.

Train with Sasuke daily.

Teach him how to use the basic jutsus...again.

Bring him to me when you are through for a test.

A simple three step plan, right? Until Sakura started training with Sasuke.

It seemed that he really knew nothing about fighting anymore. Sakura wished she could keep it that way, but Naruto said otherwise.

Once she started fighting with Sasuke, she realized a major flaw in his style: he had none! He was clumsy and struck weakly. Frustrated Sakura fueled a punch with her chakra and punched him in the stomach.

He flew a full twenty feet back and only stopped once he'd crashed into a tree. "Wow Sakura. I didn't think you would be so...so strong," Sasuke complimented as he picked himself up off the ground.

"Hmph. It's not that I'm strong, just that you are weak," Sakura said, agitated that Sasuke did not even put up much of a fight.

Weak...

Sasuke's mind reeled at the word. Weak... You are too weak...little brother. A dark figure stood over him, his sword covered in blood. It was not Sasuke's, he didn't feel the pain. Then the figure was gone. It vanished into thin air but its words echoed in Sasuke's mind. Weak...You are weak.

Suddenly Sasuke took in a deep breath of air and he rushed at Sakura in a blind rage. "I am not weak!" he yelled as he punched her in her stomach. She flew backwards almost as far as Sasuke had when she'd punched him with her chakra punch.

She landed on her feet and skidded backwards. "Sasuke, what-?" she started before realizing that he was rushing at her again.

She smirked. She waited until Sasuke was almost to her before using her jutsu. Sasuke punched and his hand made contact with a log as Sakura vanished in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke looked at the log in confusion before a weight landed on his shoulders. He crashed to the ground face-first with Sakura on top of him. She grabbed his hair and pulled his head back with one hand as her other drew a kunai to his throat.

Sasuke stopped breathing for a moment but then Sakura began to talk to him and he relaxed. "This is how a ninja is supposed to fight, not by throwing those weak little punches like you did earlier. Do you understand that Sasuke?" Sakura said in a cold voice.

"I understand perfectly...Haruno," Sasuke said in an even colder voice. It was one that Sakura knew well, and one that she'd never wanted to hear again.

Suddenly Sakura was thrown from Sasuke's back by another Sasuke. The one beneath her dissapeared in a puff of smoke as her kunai pierced into its skin.

"When did you-?" she started as she landed on her feet again.

Sasuke made no reply but instead ran at her, his fists clenched. Sakura put her kunai back in its holster and then leaped into the air, high above Sasuke's head. She landed behind him and sent a hard punch to his back.

Sasuke fell forward with the pain, but some part of him kept him going even though he should have fallen. He landed in the mud and then turned around just in time to see Sakura come crashing down on him again with a flurry of punches.

She moved so fast but he found out quickly that he could move faster. His strong legs and arms helped him to roll out of the way causing Sakura to fall into the same mud puddle he had.

Now they were both covered in mud and they both stood at a distance, glaring at each other. Sasuke glared for no known reason. Sakura glared because she was finally able to release all of her anger over his past actions on him.

Suddenly the rain returned with full force and drenched them both. Immediately, it was as if it washed away the tensions because they both started laughing and then ran out of the muddy training field and headed for Sakura's house.

-End-