Weakness of the Heart

Chapter 3

Rising Opposition

Sakura let out an exasperated sigh as she glared up at the setting sun. Three hours… She had been waiting for three damn hours. Expecting her sensei to be late, Sakura had showed up at the training grounds an hour later than she said she would, and three hours later there was still no sign of him.

Spinning a kunai around her index finger, Sakura scoffed angrily under her breath. She was so bored… Giving up on entertaining herself, Sakura let her mind drift away passively.

It had been two weeks since Hatake Kakashi had begun training her. And just as she had expected, things were different between them. Their relationship hadn't quite done a complete turn-around, but to Sakura, it was more like they were friends rather than dedicated comrades. He wasn't quite as lazy and listless as she remembered, and he seemed interested in what she had to say, regardless of the topic. There was something nice and easy about spending time with him, and she was slowly peeling away the layers underneath the mask.

Sakura liked the change, though, and reveled in the idea of someone as damned perfect as Kakashi giving her regard. He was still as mysterious as before, but the newfound interest in another being—a woman amazingly—opened up a whole new side of the Copy-ninja in Sakura's eyes.

In fact, a sick, sarcastic humor seemed to seep from Kakashi's outer exterior just a few days into her training. Sakura enjoyed it willingly, making sure to let her somewhat arrogant sense of humor shine. The way they joked with each other, one would imagine they had been close friends for years. The strange part was that they hadn't been tight companions until recently.

The main thing that had changed, though, was not their relationship, it was Sakura. She actually genuinely smiled now. She seemed to shine with exuberance, and all of Konoha noticed it. No longer did she speak of Sasuke, and she refrained from thinking about him. In fact, she hadn't said one word about the Uchiha since. Regardless of the change on the outside, though her heart still hurt.

"HEY! Sakura, what are you doing out here? Haven't you heard the news?"

Sakura jumped slightly as her mind came crashing back to reality. She blinked her eyes a few times in confusion before an anxious Shikamaru blurred into view.

"Huh? What- I mean, no."

"Sasuke's back!"

And with that…

Her two weeks of hard work shattered into nothing; nothing but distress and despair. That familiar stinging pain rose in her throat as the world around her spiraled away.

Sakura swallowed hard, propping her shaky body against the wood door to her apartment. She was safe.

After Shikamaru told her the news, she attempted to go visit Sasuke… that's right…

Attempted…

The farthest she got was the front of her apartment. Within seconds, she was fearfully hiding within the walls of her apartment. As Sakura had expected, her heart had chickened out, cowering back to the corner where her former self sat.

But the funny thing was she didn't know why she didn't want to see Sasuke. Maybe she felt she wasn't ready. maybe she was afraid her weak heart would collapse all over again. Whatever the reason, she was sure of one thing… she really didn't want to face him.

Letting out a troubled sigh, Sakura slid to the floor in a crumpled mess. What was she gaining in hiding? She had to face him someday, right? It's not like she was walking straight into her funeral or something…

Or was she…?

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Sakura let out a startled squeal, jumping slightly at the offensive sound.

"Sakura-chan! Come on! Open up! Haven't you heard! Sasuke's back! He's returned to Konoha!"

Naruto's excited voice rang in Sakura's ears through the protection of her front door. She ducked away from the front door, letting out a silent hiss. Yes, she had heard, but she wished she hadn't. Maybe if she was silent enough he would go away… doubtful.

Sakura's sighed heavily, standing up to face the inevitable. She had to face him sometime or another—why not now? She could get it out of the way and spend her time ignoring the spiteful Uchiha. At least that's what she hoped as she pulled deep inside for the strong countenance she desperately needed.

Opening the door slowly, Sakura squeezed her eyes shut tightly. "Hey, Naruto! How have you been?"

Her voice squeaked awkwardly in fret, and her face twisted in a sick, forced smile that screamed nervousness. Naruto gave her an odd look.

Ignoring her composure, he pulled at her arm. "Come on! Sasuke's back and we have to visit him! Believe it!"

Sakura nodded, giving in apprehensively. Inside, she was quivering as her blond teammate tugged her towards the Uchiha estate. Her mind screamed at her in disdain:

It'll be okay! This is nothing- he means nothing- just being respectful- no need to fret- I'll be fine- it'll be over with soon- oh god- oh god- who am I kidding? I can't do this- I can't do this…

Before she had time to think straight, she was standing before the iron gates of the Uchiha estate.

"Isn't this great Sakura-chan! Maybe Team 7 can get back together and it will like old times! I will finally have a chance to beat Sasuke!"

She nodded uneasily; completely unaware of anything that came out of Naruto's mouth. She felt like an innocuous cow being led to the slaughter.

Naruto tugged on Sakura's arm, trying to force her out of her fixed position. Pulling her towards the front door, he smirked, "Sasuke! Open up! Sakura-chan and I are here!"

He pounded impatiently on the front door, unaware of how loud and rude he was being to the village. Sakura's heart pounded wildly as echoing footsteps oozed through the front door. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to formulate a rightful greeting for the current situation.

This is it…

The door opened slowly, creaking defiantly. But when Sakura opened her eyes… the dark-haired Uchiha was nowhere in sight.

"Kakashi-sensei! What in the hell are you doing here!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at the silver-haired man.

Sakura's heart dropped.

Was that… disappointment I felt...?

Kakashi shrugged silently at Naruto.

"Well! Where is he!" Naruto pushed his way through Kakashi, unaware that he was in pursuit of answering his own question.

Kakashi shot Sakura a sheepish look. She smirked uneasily, letting out a restless chuckle.

Is that look for keeping me waiting so long… or does he just pity me at the moment?

Sakura forced a determined look, pushing past Kakashi and stepping inside the desolate estate. She was too focused to notice her surroundings as she pressed on towards the sound of Naruto's voice. Before she knew it, she had stomped into Sasuke's room with dying confidence.

And there he sat…

His arms were crossed vigilantly as he gazed indifferently out the window. For a moment, Sakura's heart felt a sting of nostalgia as she gazed at him. Her cheeks burned red as she stared at him wide-eyed, taking in his form.

He had changed so much…

He was always attractive in the past, but now, she could barely look at him with her mouth closed. His jet black hair hung casually in his coal-colored eyes, revealing a much more masculine jaw line. He had grown out of his average child-like body, leaving a defined and chiseled work of art. His clothing was the most different of all—a simple, open white shirt revealing the smooth planes of his muscles and a loose pair of black, ninja pants. A long, thin katana hung slackly from his shoulder.

Sasuke didn't even budge; he continued to stare apathetically out the window. It was as if he hadn't even noticed Sakura walk in. It was probably in her interests anyway, since her intense stare was enough to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

"Sasuke! Aren't you going to say something?" Naruto seemed peeved as he raised his fist at the dark-haired boy.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly, but maintained his withdrawn stare. Sakura finally broke her stare, turning to the irritated blonde boy next to her.

She swallowed… hard. "Maybe we shouldn't bother him Naruto. He has probably been annoyed enough today."

For a moment, Sasuke's dark eyes flickered in Sakura's direction. A strange look graced his face as he turned to reestablish his hard stare out the window.

"Hn.."

Naruto growled. "You think you are all high and mighty! You don't even have the decency to say hi to your friends! If you think I am ever going out of my way to visit you, FORGET IT!"

Naruto spun on his heel, irately mumbling under his breath as he stomped out the door. Sakura remained frozen for a second, unable to think—unable to breathe.

After a long, extremely awkward silence, Sakura gave up pondering the correct things to say. She quietly turned away from the disengaged boy, praying for a silent exit.

"He hasn't changed."

Sakura halted at the sound of his stoic voice. She turned slowly to face the dark-haired boy. Forcing a manufactured smile, Sakura squeaked a pathetic reply. "O-oh, yeah! That Naruto! H-he'll never change!"

Realizing that Sasuke was now staring at her, she chuckled uneasily, attempting to maintain her shaken composure. Her eyes searched for a distracting target to alleviate her vexed stature. Finally settling on an old scroll on the wall, her emerald eyes bore into it nervously like there was no tomorrow. She was hoping Sasuke hadn't noticed the strange way she was acting—hoping, but obviously failing. In the corner of her eye, Sakura noticed Kakashi enter the room, but she continued to stare intensely at the scroll on the wall.

"So Sasuke, you ready to go?" Kakashi's smooth voice felt like redemption to Sakura.

Sasuke grunted irritatedly, picking up a small bag lying next his feet. His eyes flickered at Sakura briefly as he turned to leave.

Sakura glanced at Kakashi, a confused look pressed into her features. Go? Where is Sasuke going?...

A fierce look overcame Sasuke as he pushed past Kakashi angrily. He mumbled a few obscure words before slamming the front door behind him.

Kakashi chuckled softly, the rumble of his voice penetrating the awkward silence. Sakura said nothing; she just stared off in wonderment, attempting to comprehend the events that had just occurred.

Kakashi spoke up; the clarity in his voice salvaged Sakura from the maze in her mind. "Sorry I missed our training session." He glanced out the window momentarily. "It's late, but we can still finish our session at my house if you want."

Sakura nodded lifelessly, unaware of what she had really just agreed to. Turning to leave, Kakashi motioned Sakura to follow. She did, as always… Sometimes she felt like a helpless animal trailing behind its mother from the way she always followed Kakashi so blindly. She made a mental note, knowing that someday that would end up terribly.

As Sakura trailed closely to Kakashi's heels, she noticed a dark figure in the corner of her eye. Glancing over at the stranger, she realized it was a very scornful Sasuke leaning against the side of the estate with his arms crossed in, what seemed to her, disgust. Kakashi pressed on, not even taking a brief moment to acknowledge the dark-haired boy. Sakura's perplexed gaze drifted to Kakashi and back to the irate Sasuke. Her pace slowed as her mind circled and churned, attempting to make sense of the strange sight before her eyes.

Turning back to Kakashi, Sakura's legs broke into a jog as she realized how far ahead Kakashi was. Finally catching up to the indifferent silver-haired man, she gave him a cautious look from the corner of her eye. He didn't budge; he continued his apathetic strides towards his destination.

Glancing back, Sakura noticed the dark-haired figure leaning stiffly against the estate was now just a few paces behind her, his head tilted down as his slow pace pressed on.

She shot Kakashi a perturbed look. "Why is Sasuke… following us?" Her voice was soft and quiet as if she was saying something obscene.

"Because he is supposed to." He stated simply.

Sakura jaw dropped unknowingly in confusion. Was she missing something, or was she wrong to feel oddly disturbed? Sometimes she wondered if she was doomed to always being the last ignorant person left on the face of the earth.

She pressed on. "…supposed to?"

Kakashi's gaze remained stationary in front of him. "That's what I said. Otherwise, how is going to get to my place?"

Sakura's nose crinkled as disturbance overcame her. She felt ignorant, so she pressed on, knowing that it would take a few questions to get one, simple answer out of Kakashi.

"Your place?" Her voice almost came out harshly.

He shrugged calmly. "Yeah, that's what I said…" He repeated that line again, making Sakura feel incompetent.

"Why does he need to go to your place?"

Kakashi sighed, either out of frustration or indifference; either way she didn't care to figure it out at the moment.

"Because that's where he will be staying for now."

A million questions arose in Sakura's mind, but she swallowed them away, knowing that there would be no point in asking a person who didn't care to answer them. She was silent as she pondered, her feet dragging precariously. She listened to the soft padding sound of Sasuke's feet on the grass behind her.

She had never their imagined their meeting after two years would be anything like this. She had expected him to call her annoying and turn away from her coldly, leaving her silent and lonely. But here he was, trailing behind her silently as they walked towards their sensei's apartment—where they would both be hanging out inside together. It was an extremely odd, awkward occurrence, at least for her anyways.

Kakashi broke her train of thought as he reached into his pocket, pulling out his keys with a jingling sound. Finally registering her surroundings, Sakura tilted her head curiously. A queer thought struck her as she gazed at the surroundings around her—despite all the years she had been acquainted with Kakashi, she had never visited his home or even knew where he live. She suddenly felt uncomfortable as she stood there in the front of his apartment, like she knew a dangerous secret that should never be uttered.

Kakashi pushed open the front door, allowing Sakura and Sasuke to enter. Sakura slid past him timidly, her eyes wandering covertly, swallowing every detail she could in the darkness. Sasuke, on the other hand, stormed inside with no regard to the darkness or the unfamiliarity of his surroundings.

His bag fell to the floor with a thud. "I am going to take a shower."

Sakura watched Sasuke as he rudely invited himself into his sensei's place of dwelling. He disappeared in the darkness where, Sakura assumed, the hallway was located. The thought of Sasuke taking a shower suddenly made her cheeks grow red…

Suddenly, a hot, startled chill shot down Sakura's spine as a hand snaked its way down to the crook in her back. A quiet squeak escaped her throat as the hand pushed her further into the darkness. Her heart pounded wildly, rattling in her ribcage.

"Are you afraid of something…?" Kakashi's warm breath tickled her earlobe, his voice unusually slow.

Her throat suddenly felt dry as she spun around quickly to face the silver-haired man. A flustered look washed over her face as she gazed back at him with uncertainty.

What was that… feeling…?

Her heart rate relaxed as she examined his features in the darkness. His half-lidded eye seemed hollow and emotionless as he gazed back at her lazily. Apparently, he hadn't realized the soft touch of his hand or the arousing sound of his voice the way Sakura had…

I am imagining things… Kakashi-sensei would never…

She shuddered at the thought of him, her teacher, seducing her. Something about it seemed so utterly wrong…

"Well, are you going to stand there all night staring, or are you going to take a seat?"

Sakura blushed with embarrassment and tilted her head down in shame. "Sorry, I just thought… nevermind…"

She timidly took a seat on the nearest sofa, biting her lip nervously. Kakashi shrugged, taking the seat next to her. He chuckled inwardly at the blush spreading across her face. She shifted uneasily, noticing the close proximity between them.

A small smirk curled underneath Kakashi's black mask. He loved how easy it was to make her feel uncomfortable. He pondered keeping it up, for the sheer thought of amusement.

She cleared her throat. "Kakashi-sensei…?"

He shifted his body closer; the warmth of his body made her tremble. "Hmm..?"

She fiddled with the hem on her black shorts. "Well, why is Sasuke going to be staying with you?"

"Because he has to."

She shot him an irritated glare. "I know that already… but why?"

He leaned back on the sofa, stretching his arms out and sluggishly placing them behind his head. He was silent for a moment, then, "The Hokage put him on probation for three months under my rule."

Her eyes widened in shock. "What? Why?"

He gave her a dumbfounded look. "Well, I don't know if you remember clearly, but he did betray the village when he left to seek out Itachi with Orochimaru. Staying with me is his punishment."

Sakura panicked. "What? No, no… What about my training? I can't…"

"Why not?" The calm and composed tone in his voice irritated her even more.

"Well- because… because…" She sighed, exasperated. "I just can't!"

Standing abruptly, Sakura seethed with resentment. She wasn't about to put up with Kakashi's matter-of-fact attitude. But before she had a chance to stomp away, he grasped her wrist tightly and pulled her forcibly back down on the sofa. Sakura yelped as her head collided with his shoulder with a twinge of pain.

"Why not?" His voice was laced with impatience, the cool, casual tone slipping away.

Realizing her right leg was resting intrusively over Kakashi's thigh, Sakura's face flushed deep red. She pulled her leg away hurriedly, turning her heated face away to hide her embarrassment. Kakashi grasped her other wrist and pulled her towards him until she was facing him.

"Answer me, Sakura."

She squeaked at the painful grip around her wrists. "I don't know!"

Kakashi loosened the grip around her wrists, frowning slightly. "I can't believe you…"

She furrowed her brows as she tilted her head down to alleviate the utter closeness between them. She could feel his eye boring into her, causing her heart to thump louder and louder. For a second, she could've sworn her heart was inching up her throat.

Kakashi sighed, maintaining the grip on the pink-haired girl. "I figured this would happen. I don't even know why I wasted my time on you…"

She glared up at him darkly. "Excuse me?"

"Well I thought maybe you wanted to get over this weakness, but apparently I was wrong. You will always be the emotional Sakura I met years ago."

"Well, then I am sorry I wasted your precious time!"

She pulled on her wrists hard, trying to break free from Kakashi; but he was too strong… the harder she tugged… the closer he pulled her to his body. He inched her closer and closer until the space between their bodies diminished.

She pounded on his chest. "Let me go!"

"Ah, there's the Sakura I like."

She glowered at him, knowing that he had won the battle. "Fine! I will continue training with you! But it's only because I want to get stronger! Don't act like you can overpower me!" She sighed angrily. "Because you can't!"

Smirking slightly behind his mask, he raised a silver brow. "Oh, but I think I can…" He tilted his head towards the awkward position he had her locked in. "It seems to me that you are stuck in my grip."

Sakura's anger withered to nothing as yet another rosy blush crept up her face. The warmth of his body suddenly felt fiery as it seeped past her solid exterior.

Why is he doing this…? And why the hell am I allowing it?

She felt paralyzed, mesmerized, and, most of all, petrified. She stared back at him, mouth agape as his eye bore into her. Her mind surged as she tried to sort the emotions fluttering inside her.

The sound of footsteps in the hallway jerked Sakura back to reality. Her heart panicked, but she remained frozen...

No! He can't see me like this!

Kakashi glanced over Sakura's shoulder. "Ah, Sasuke, did you need something?"

The dark-haired boy gritted his teeth tightly, narrowing his eyes at the sight before him. Sakura could feel his rage pouring into the atmosphere.

"Yes. I did, but apparently, you are too busy to help me at the moment." His usual stoic voice seemed to smolder with vehemence.

"No, not at all. I was just having a chat with Sakura."

Raising his brow, Sasuke flickered his dark eyes in Sakura's direction. "I see…"

A thick, dismaying silence washed over the room as Sasuke continued to glare at Kakashi. Sakura shut her eyes tightly, wanting nothing more than vanish into thin air. At that moment, she would've given anything to get away from the disturbing events that were taking place.

"Well, if you wanted to know where your room is, it is down the hall to the right." Kakashi seemed so calm and impassive.

Sasuke growled under his breath as he quickly spun on his heel. He stomped down the hallway and slammed the door behind him, making the whole apartment tremble. Sakura opened her eyes slowly, apprehensively trailing them up Kakashi's face until they locked eyes. He was gazing back at her, a twisted smile hidden beneath his mask.

Finally releasing his grip on the pink-haired girl, he shifted his body away from her. The air stung Sakura's tepid skin, leaving her frigid and numb. And odd thought struck her as she suddenly wished Kakashi hadn't let go.

Her mind screamed for her to run away, but her body remained frozen. She felt bewildered and out-of-control, unable to determine what she was really feeling. Why was Kakashi acting that way? The thought of his warm body caused her to tremble, but she wasn't sure why. She never, ever thought of Kakashi as anything but her sensei. But now, she had doubts of what she really thought about him. She pushed those thoughts away.

No… I am just imagining things…

Kakashi glanced over at Sakura. "It is getting kind of late… I guess you should go home now."

She nodded, unable to lock eyes with him.

"Do you want me to walk you home?"

She shot him a startled look. "N-no, that isn't necessary. I can manage."

He shrugged lazily. "Okay, then, I guess I will see you tomorrow at five."

Standing abruptly, she turned on her heel, her back facing the silver-haired man. "Yeah, I guess so." Her voice squeaked with vexation.

Without a word, she walked towards the front door and slipped out. Immediately, she let out a sigh of relief. She suddenly felt safe in the dark, foreboding street. Anything would be better than staying in that apartment…

She walked hastily down the streets of Konoha, not even looking back once.

The funny part was Sakura was too dazed and befuddled to realize her trip to Kakashi's was completely in vain…

Not once did he train the pink-haired kunoichi like he said…