Chapter Four
"Be back safe, and preferably in one piece, okay?" I asked Naruto, straightening the pack on his broad shoulders. He smiled and gently held my hands.
"Okay, Sakura. I'll be fine," he said softly. "I'll be fine," he repeated. I smiled at him.
"Well, good luck. I'll see you Wednesday, then?" I asked. He nodded. "Okay, love you."
He kissed me. "I love you too," he lowered his voice. "If anything happens, promise me you won't stay with him. Go straight to your father, okay?"
I nodded. He kissed me again, held me tight for a moment, then strode out the door to his mission.
I sighed wistfully and turned back to Sasuke.
"All right," I began. "I have to be at work in fifteen minutes. For today, you have to stay here. Got it?" I asked. Sasuke nodded. "Alright. Ino might be dropping in around noon. Don't let her get into your pants. I trust you," I finished.
Sasuke smiled and nodded. "Okay, I get it. I'll try not to have any parties while you're gone too."
I laughed. "It's good to see you haven't lost that sense of humor you never had."
And, in fifteen minutes, I was at the academy. Class didn't officially start for a while, but I had to get the squads to Iruka – who, incidentally, was filling in for Naruto. Iruka's more of a superintendent, I suppose. He supervises everything, directs everything… he sits on the village's board as a representation of the Academy.
"So Sakura," said Iruka, looking over the squad. "What's up?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Why is Naruto going on a mission? There are plenty of shinobi around here with nothing to do. Is there something going on?"
I thought for a moment, then shook my head. "No, everything is pretty normal. Besides, Lady Tsunade makes random choices like that all the time."
He muttered something incomprehensible, but before I could ask him loudly and obnoxiously to repeat it, kids began streaming in my classroom.
"Good morning everyone," I said, smiling at them as Iruka left.
"Good morning Sakura-sensei," they chorused back.
"Does anyone remember what we were learning on Friday?" I asked, then pointed to one of the few raised hands, who supplied me with a sufficient answer. "Good. Does anyone want to give me a demonstration of what a-"
"Sakura-sensei," said a blonde-haired girl from the back of the room.
"Yes?"
"You know none of us care about this… we want to hear gossip."
I laughed. "Ichi, don't listen to anything your cousin tells you."
Ino's cousin fell into a sulky pout.
The day passed normally. My students were very varied… there were some who couldn't even produce a simple clone yet, and some who could easily produce many. I enjoy teaching – it gives me the sense of helping that I never had when I was younger.
Anyways, I got home eventually, if not a little later than usual. Sasuke was frowning, scrutinizing something intensely as I came in.
"What's that?" I asked, dropping my bag on the kitchen table.
"What's what?" he asked, hastily putting it away. I laughed and shook my head.
"Whatever… So," I began, sitting on the couch next to him. "How'd it go?"
He was silent for a moment, then said, "When Ino dropped in, she said something about wanting to fix my hair…? Did you put her up to that?"
I laughed again. "No, I didn't, but I suppose she feels the same way I do… you need something done with that hair."
He sighed, smiling.
"So, did you find anything interesting around here?" I asked. At his quizzical look, I clarified, "What did you do for the five or six hours I was gone?"
He shrugged. "I have some stuff."
I waited for him to say more, but he didn't. "Okay… well I've got some papers to grade," I continued, standing up to retrieve them. "Haha, you can help… although I'd be willing to bet you're a little rusty on your ninja skills, as you've been away fifteen years."
"Actually," said Sasuke as I came to sit back down. "That's not the case."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
He didn't say anything, only reached for his bag, the only thing he had been carrying when he got here. I hadn't given it much thought, but out of it he pulled… four headbands?
"Grass. Cloud. Stone. Rain," he said, handing them to me in turn. "I'm a qualified chuunin in the Grass and Cloud, a genin in the Stone, and a jounin in the Rain."
I stared at the headbands, then back at Sasuke. "But I thought… you told us you wandered around, not belonging anywhere."
"And that's true!" he said. "I did wander from village to village, and I knew that I didn't actually belong to any of them!"
I stared at him for a moment.
"Really!"
Finally, I nodded. "Okay. Okay, that's cool, Sasuke. Just… tell me a little about it." To tell the truth, I still honestly could not believe this of Sasuke. Being considered a missing nin by the Leaf, he seriously went to other village? How could this be?
"Well… I did try the Sand Village too," he began. "I now realize that was a mistake, and the reason I left there was because they were in the middle of a war… I guess I know what war that was. And the secret weapon Naruto was talking about earlier? The boy with the demon inside of him? I knew that boy. His name was Gaara, I knew his whole squad… It's strange to remember them as I do, and then think of all the damage they wreaked."
I nodded, still stunned. "So… wow. I'm… I'm blown away, Sasuke. I had no idea…"
"I had no intention of telling you."
I froze, something striking in me.
To hear Sasuke, within touching distance, telling me of his intentions…
"Sakura… Sakura, are you alright?" asked a voice far away, sounding slightly worried. I blinked, pulled from my reverie, and a dark-haired, dark-eyed man's concerned face focused over me. "Sakura? Can you hear me?"
I nodded, realizing I had stood up and staggered away from the couch, ending up clutching the table for support, Sasuke's headbands still in my hand. "Yeah, I'm fine…sorry about that," I said, shaking my head and trying to smile. "Sorry. I just… sorry."
He stared at me, half confused, half concerned, and I sat down at the table. "I'm sorry, Sasuke, I had just a very vivid flashback right there."
He paused, and then said quietly, "I'm sorry for what I did to you, that day, Sakura. If there's anything I haven't been able to forget, it's knowing what I did to you-"
"-you have no idea what you did to me."
He was silent.
Somehow, his hand found mine.
"I'm so, so sorry," he whispered. "Of everyone I left, I missed you the most, Sakura. I was so young… it was terrifying to be out there, alone… I was so used to having everyone like me… but I learned…"
Somehow, we were suddenly closer.
"But now, Sakura… that's over now. I have a new life now. Here. And I am never – never – leaving again."
His face was so close to mine…
I pulled my hand out of his and stood up, shaking my head.
"No, Sasuke," I said, my voice much stronger than I felt. "No. Don't be like this. You're not going to come in here and just, and just mess everything up, okay? Let me get this straight – I do no like you like that, I never did, and if you're just going to be like this then you need to find someplace else to stay. Alright?"
He bowed his head. "I apologize. I shouldn't have put you in that position."
"That's right. You shouldn't have," I said. "But let that be a lesson, okay? People have changed, and you can't go around trying to turn them back.
"Now come on. I have to work on your hair."
Probably because of our last episode, he didn't say anything. With a single trip to the bathroom for all the supplies, I sat him down on one of our chairs to get his hair done.
"Well," I began, attacking his head with scissors. "There's a professional hairdresser near the Dame-ji River, but I think I'll do."
"The what river?"
"Come on, you know. The Dame-ji river, to the east?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh, that's right," I said. "The Dame-ji River was put in after you had left, after the war was over. There simply wasn't enough graves for the bodies, so they were burned in a huge cremation service and, under the black smoke the bodies were giving off, everyone who had lost someone lit a candle and sent it down the river. A bunch of people still go down there a lot to light a candle. Come to think of it, I need to go with my dad…"
I cut Sasuke off before he could say anything. "But yeah. The Dame-ji River. The Damaged River. There's a prayer that goes with it too, but I can't remember it right now. I have it somewhere in the house, you could look for it if you want. Aaaaand… there. Done."
I handed him a mirror. He grimaced and looked over his head.
"Holy…"
Instead of doing anything that might cause me to actually have to work, I had just cut off the parts of his hair that wouldn't work and slicked the rest back. It actually looked pretty good, and it seriously changed something about his appearance too.
"Right… I want you to come to the Academy with me tomorrow. None of the kids were even alive when you left, and I doubt any of them will recognize you. I'll tell Iruka, though, he's filling in for Naruto. The Fifth should be alright with that…Here…"
I dashed into Naruto and I's room and grabbed some of his older, brighter clothes. Back with Sasuke, I shoved them at him. "Go ahead, change into those, I want to see how badly they clash with your hair," I said, smiling. He sighed and obliged, changing in the bathroom. The first set was back when Naruto still liked bright colors that didn't match (orange and blue, seriously). It was a blood red shirt with highlighter yellow pants to match. I laughed at how ridiculous Sasuke looked.
Eventually though, we decided on a much more Sasuke-ish ensemble. It was some of Naruto's dress clothes, but on Sasuke they looked very casual. It was dark pants and a grey shirt with a 'badass stand-up collar', as Naruto used to phrase it.
"There we go," I said, looking him over. "You look great, Sasuke, much different than before."
"I don't know whether to thank you or burst into tears," he said, amused, looking down at himself.
"Haha," I said, smiling. "And now you need a name, an identity, if anyone asks… How about my second cousin? One of my great aunts left the village to explore once."
He nodded and I beckoned to have him sit back down on the couch with me. I sat with my three-ring binder on my knees, grading papers automatically.
"So what are the kids learning?"
I shrugged. "Just reviewing for their exams now. It's all pretty tough, and they get divided into squads a year or two before we were. I mean, compared to them, we were wimps." I smiled. "I'm pretty proud to be teaching them, though. I'd like to think I'm doing a good job."
"Have you had many missions since you've become a teacher?"
I shook my head. "Not many… I'm alright, I guess, when it comes to missions. I've helped my squad members out of some pretty tight spots before."
Sasuke let out a low whistle. "I never thought you, of all of us, would grow up so strong."
I laughed softly. "No, I'm not strong. In fact, I'd say I'm in the weaker half of the shinobi of the village."
"I didn't mean physically."
There was an awkward pause.
"Um, you can help me grade," I said, trying to keep myself from blushing. "Here," I shoved some papers at him. "The answer key's at the bottom, but you can probably figure some of them out, they're pretty simple."
We worked in silence for a while. It was second nature to me, but Sasuke had to concentrate a little harder. I stared at his face for a while, focusing, brow wrinkled, making check marks on the paper now and again.
Could he really be that changed from the twelve-year-old boy who caused so much pain? Does time work that way, erasing damages and faults?
I stared at him a little harder.
But however much I tried, I could not see the shadow of that Sasuke on his handsome features. He looked calm, even kind, something I don't remember ever seeing on his face before. What had done this to him? Who had he met? What had he done? There was so much unanswered…
Sasuke looked up, and I ducked my head, but I think he may have caught me staring at him.
The next day, I had Sasuke ready in time to be at the Academy. We got there a little earlier than I would have normally, but Iruka was already there, sipping a coffee from the staff lounge (which is woefully inadequate, by the way).
"Iruka," I said, pulling him from some article he was reading.
"Sakura? Hmm?" he glanced up. "Who's this?" he asked, nodding at Sasuke.
"I was just about to say…Iruka… this is… Sasuke Uchiha."
Every muscle in Iruka's body tautened and he jumped up. "No way… What's he doing here? Are you alright?"
"Yes, Iruka, I'm fine," I said. "Sit down, I'll tell you what happened."
Iruka sat down at his desk, stunned, and I explained to him all about how Sasuke had come back, and how Tsunade was going to see him.
"Oh…okay…" he said faintly when I had finished. "Well… you'd better get to your class… they'll be here in a minute…"
"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked, helping him up. "You wouldn't rather just call in a substitute?"
"I am the substitute, Sakura," he said, managing a smile. Painfully, he held out a hand to Sasuke.
Sasuke stared at it for half a second, then took it.
"Glad to have you back, Uchiha."
"Thank you sir," answered Sasuke, bowing his head.
In my classroom, I beamed at Sasuke. "That went so well! He didn't even try to attack you!"
Sasuke smiled. "Thanks, Sakura."
The day went smoothly. The kids seemed to behave extra well because they knew there was a guest here. I introduced him as Tekiya, my second-cousin. I was actually glad to have him there because my class worked extra hard, showing off for him. Ino's cousin went so far as to ask him his number. He was surprisingly good with them… he seemed almost a natural at teaching, which, to say the very least, surprised me.
At the end of the day, after I had dismissed my students, Sasuke stood staring at the door as I finished up some files.
"What's up?" I asked. He glanced at me and shrugged.
"I don't know. It's so weird, to look at these kids, and remember that I was their age, once."
"Yes," I said, smiling at him. "Once."
He was silent for a moment, then said, "I was thinking… once I'm… you know, back a part of the village… is it possible to… could I maybe… start teaching too?"
"Took you long enough to say," I said, still smiling. "Of course you could, Sasuke. You did really well with the kids. I can't believe it, but you were." He smiled. "Now, I'm going to stay just a little later, okay? You can go-"
I stopped myself before I said "home." I don't know why, but it didn't seem right.
"Really?" asked Sasuke.
I laughed. "Yes, really. And don't look at me like that, you don't need permission to do everything."
He smiled, said goodbye, and left.
I was alone for a moment, then there was a knock on the door and Iruka popped his head in.
"Hello, Iruka," I said brightly.
"Hey Sakura," he said, sidling in. "I just needed to ask you something."
"Yes?"
He took a deep breath. "Do you really trust Sasuke?"
"Yes," I said without hesitation. "Of course."
"But why?" he asked. "I mean, don't you remember that… day…" he trailed off. I paused in my work a moment, remembering the day Sasuke left.
"Of course I do. But this isn't that Sasuke. You should have seen him with the kids, really… I was surprised to see how nice he came across. I mean, I remember him as being that stuck-up little jerk that everyone loved…"
"Yeah," said Iruka grimly. "I suppose so. But do you think it's wise to have him living with you while Naruto isn't here?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well, you know. He's always been… a little cruel. You can't tell me you haven't seen that at all from him since he's come back."
I blinked. "Iruka, I believe that Sasuke has changed. Fifteen years ago is fifteen years ago. There is no way we can judge him on what he did when he was twelve years old-"
"He destroyed half the village!"
"I know he hates himself for what he did, and he only wishes he could have chosen something better-"
"Sakura, he plunged us into a war! He killed your mother and that means nothing to you?"
"No," I said coldly. "That is irrelevant, Iruka, and you know it. My mother's death had nothing – nothing – to do with what Sasuke did to this village. Please do not suggest it again."
He looked at me in a strained silence for a while, then said, quieter, "Okay. I trust your judgment, Sakura. But if he tries anything, if he gets out of hand at all, don't stay with him, alright?"
"Alright," I said. "Naruto has already told me that. I know. I'm not the little ditz you taught anymore, Iruka-sensei."
I smiled at him. He paused for half a moment, then smiled and shook his head. "No, you're not. Come on, take your stuff back to your place, I don't want you here all night. Besides, Naruto's coming back tomorrow, right?"
I nodded, standing up. "Yeah, but he said he'd be back pretty late.
"Of course, of course…" We talked a while longer, but we had to part when we came to his place. We said goodbye and I continued to walk home. It was late afternoon, so the streets weren't deserted, but it was pretty hot out, and that made everyone feel a little more lazy than usual.
Absentmindedly staring at the sky, I stupidly tripped on a crack in the pavement. I fell forwards, but luckily when I threw out my hands, there was a wall to keep me from crashing to the ground. Unluckily, however, someone called my name that instant and I whipped around quickly.
There was a sharp, stinging pain on my right wrist. Automatically, I clutched the bleeding wrist with my left hand. "Ouch…" I whispered. Glancing back at the wall, I realized there had been a sharp nail I hadn't seen protruding from the wall.
Sasuke, who had called my name, looked at me concernedly. "What happened?"
I showed him the deep laceration on my wrist and pointed to the nail. "Ouch. C'mon, we should clean that up."
Back at the house, I cleaned the cut and carefully bandaged it. "Crap," I said bitterly. "Now everyone's gonna think…"
"What?"
I glanced at Sasuke. "I'm sorry, I forgot there's so much you don't know. There were certain…" I paused, thinking about my words. "…times when doing actions such as cutting your wrists seemed appropriate. It was popular, even. A fad," I said.
"Seriously? Actually hurting yourself on purpose was popular?"
"…yes…"
I was silent, staring at the bandages, which were already stained slightly red.
"Nevermind, though. No one's going to believe I did this on purpose. I'll be alright," I said.
Sasuke leaned back, took a deep breath and shook his head, staring at the floor. "Sometimes," he began. "I wonder if it's worth it to hear what's happened to this place."
"You know, most of it isyour fault, after all."
He didn't look at me.
I smiled sadly and readjusted the fitting of the bandage.
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Wooooooo! Seems there was more to Sakura than you thought!
There was obviously a lot of stuff going on after Sasuke left.
Unfortunately, I never really do explain much about it. :D
Review :).
