AN – Sorry for the delay! I was horribly behind in ECOT and this is my last week to catch up so I've been kind of preoccupied with my time. Starting next week I'll be back on my usual schedule and hopefully posting more chapters more often. I hope you like the chapter! Read & review!
Crossing Lines
Chapter Three
Sakura made her way to Konoha's containment section of the hospital. They kept injured s-class criminals here until they were to be executed or transported to another village. Deep within the darkest, most secluded section of the underground structure was Sasuke's cell. She used her chakra signature to unlock the door, and pushed it forward cautiously. She peaked inside and saw the raven haired man reclining lazily on his ratty mattress. He glanced up at her as she entered the cell.
"Hi Sasuke," she said, feigning cheeriness as she took her usual seat on the floor. He turned to face the wall and remained silent, as he always did during her visits. Sasuke had been back in Konohagakure for almost six months, and he hadn't said more than a handful of words to her the entire time. They weren't making any progress at all and it was beginning to take its toll on the kunoichi. On top of her hospital shifts and her missions, she still took time out of her days to visit him as often as she could. Frankly, she was beginning to lose her patience.
She knew he didn't want to be there, and each day she found herself increasingly wanting to avoid him. Why should she keep putting forth this effort, when it was constantly just thrown back in her face? Didn't she have more respect for herself than this? All of the progress she'd made in his absence was slowly wasting away to nothing. She found herself loving every second she was in his presence, and missing him terribly when she wasn't. She'd come to the conclusion late last night that she wouldn't put herself through the wreckage she knew was to come.
She stood, gathering every last ounce of courage she had, and sat down on his mattress. He tensed and glowered at her out of the corner of his eye. "Can we talk?" she asked gently. He replied with an unintelligible grunt. Not caring if that response was meant as a yes or no, she began. "What are you thinking right now?" He sat up and leveled her with a glare, which caused her to fearfully lean away from him. Was she honestly trying to talk to him about his feelings? "What I mean is I want you to be able to talk to me. I want to know what you're thinking when you're quiet like this," she whispered, her bangs obscuring her eyes. Apparently, that's exactly what she was trying to do here. Sasuke wanted no part of it, and continued to sit there, fuming silently.
"If you're not going to talk, then can you at least listen to what I have to say?" she asked, confidence steadily growing in her voice. He averted his eyes and crossed his legs. He didn't really care one way or another. "I think you're really weak Sasuke," her crystalline voice echoed mockingly in the small cell. She laughed after she said it, as if an enormous weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
Feeling his blood begin to boil, he turned to her and scoffed, "Really?"
"Yeah, and I can't keep wasting my time on you," she said bluntly. "I have much more important things to be doing than keeping you company, and if you're going to constantly pretend I'm not even here, you obviously must not mind being alone. So I came to tell you that this is the last time I'll be visiting you." She stood and brushed the wrinkles out of her skirt. Stopping in the doorway, she turned to say, "I really hope you don't rot in here, Sasuke." She shut the door behind her, not even bothering to wait for a reply.
The Uchiha stared after her in mild shock. He really didn't believe she could stay away forever; she'd spent every second of her free time visiting him. He had a vague suspicion that she was just trying to scare him into talking to her, and it wasn't going to work. He lay down and buried his face in the pillow, pulling the tattered blanket over his head. He just kept telling himself he was glad to see her go.
On her way home, Sakura was stopped by an exceptionally wound up Hinata. She watched as the Hyuga bounced back and forth on the balls of her feet in anticipation. "There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you!" she panted, smiling in relief. "You're never going to believe what happened!" Sakura found herself a tad startled by her behavior.
Curiously, she cocked her head to the side and asked, "What?"
Taking a deep breath and holding up her hand, Hinata burst out, "Naruto proposed!" A huge diamond ring glinted brilliantly in the sunlight, and realization hit Sakura like a baseball bat to the skull.
Panic surged up inside her and she screamed, "You've only been together for a few months!" She grabbed Hinata's shoulders and shook her violently while she spoke. "What is that idiot thinking?" she whispered as she released the poor girl.
"I know it's sudden, but deep in my heart I truly believe he is the love of my life. He's the only one who could ever give me this incredible feeling, and I love everything about him," Hinata stated adoringly. Sakura smiled at her glumly and congratulated her. She excused herself and headed straight home.
Upon arriving at her house, Sakura pulled out her keys. Her hands were trembling violently, and she found it near impossible to slip the key into the lock. Screaming in frustration as she dropped them, she kicked the door open using her monstrous strength and stormed inside, muttering obscenities under her breath all the while. She kicked off her shoes and threw her keys on the kitchen counter. They slid a few feet and dropped to the floor with a loud clinking noise. She felt a wave of despair rain down all around her. Tears overflowed in her emerald eyes and she buried her face in her hands. Sliding to the floor, she tucked her knees to her chest and wept.
The next morning Sakura awoke to someone pounding on her front door. Groaning, she glanced around and noticed she was still in the kitchen. Rubbing her eyes, she shouted, "Coming!" She stood and faced the sink. Quickly, she ran her fingers through her hair and splashed some water on her face. Sighing at her reflection in the window above the sink, she turned and made her way to the front door. She glanced through the peephole and saw Kakashi and Naruto standing impatiently on her front porch. Curiously, she opened the door.
"What in God's name were you doing in there? We've been banging on your door for ten minutes!" Naruto grumbled, stepping through the threshold and shaking his head wildly. Droplets of water assaulted Sakura and her former sensei. She wiped her face clean and stepped aside to let them in.
"I was asleep," she informed them grumpily. Kakashi apologized and advised her to take a seat, Naruto on her left and himself to her right. The blonde pulled out a large scroll and unfurled it.
Sakura gasped upon seeing its contents. "What is that?" she asked, leaning over the table to get a better look.
"It's a summons from the Kage's. I have to visit each country on this summons and they all must agree to my newly appointed position," Naruto explained.
"Have they always done this?" Sakura asked.
Kakashi shook his head and replied, "No, not formally, but aside from Gaara, there has never been another Jinchuuriki host named as a Kage. It's only natural for the villages to harbor a fear of the Jinchuuriki, wouldn't you agree Sakura?" She nodded and resumed her silence.
"The village is finally stable enough for me to take the trip. I'm leaving in a little bit, and I'd like you to accompany me," he said, rolling up the scroll and placing it back in his pocket.
"I'd be honored," Sakura agreed enthusiastically. She hadn't been out of the village in months, since they'd brought back Sasuke in fact. Her mood darkened upon his unwanted intrusion into her thoughts, but much to her relief something distracted her. "Lady Tsunade's awake, isn't she? There's no other reason I'd be allowed to leave the village for such a long period of time. Is she healed enough to take over my shift at the hospital?" Kakashi and Naruto exchanged tense looks.
"No, Shizune will be taking over your shift. It's probably best if you go and speak to Tsunade herself before we leave," Kakashi said sullenly. Sakura bolted to her feet, and was out the door in seconds. She hastily weaved her way through the streets of the village, arriving quickly at her sensei's house. She rapped on the door three times and waited patiently. Shizune appeared in the doorway and escorted her inside.
She led her up the stairs and left her standing in front of her sensei's bedroom without any explanation at all. Anxiously, Sakura knocked on the door and upon hearing a muffled 'come in', she turned the doorknob and pushed it open. Tsunade lay in bed, looking unearthly pale and withered. She smiled upon seeing her apprentice.
"Sakura," she gasped; her voice raspy and hoarse.
"Lady Tsunade, how're you feeling?" the pink haired kunoichi took a seat on the side of the bed and rested the back of her palm on her sensei's forehead. She grinned weakly and lifted Sakura's hand.
"Don't be silly. Of course I don't have a fever," Tsunade scolded, coughing slightly.
"Of course," she mumbled, placing her hands in her lap. As she took in her sensei's withered appearance she found that it upset her much more than it should have. Tsunade was what she had aspired to be for the longest time, and seeing her in this state tore the poor kunoichi's heart apart. "Will you be able to recover?"
The former Hokage nodded and jokingly replied, "Not entirely, but we can't all be beautiful forever!" Sakura bit her tongue and grinned, eye twitching madly.
"No, no we can't," she mumbled. "Lady Tsunade, does this mean you're going to retire?"
"Unfortunately, yes. I can't be your sensei anymore Sakura," she answered. The young woman nodded understandingly and was about to speak when she was cut off. "You have a mission to be preparing for, don't you? You should get moving before you're left behind." Sakura gaped at her in shock.
"Lady Tsunade? How'd you know…"
"I may not be Hokage anymore, but word still travels around the village quickly enough," she said, waving a perfectly manicured hand at her. "Now go! You know how Naruto gets when he's kept waiting," she said, smiling warmly. Sakura returned the smile and murmured a short farewell. She closed the door gently behind her and descended the staircase where she found Shizune waiting for her.
"I know things look bad, but don't worry yourself too much Sakura. Lady Tsunade's strong; she'll pull through this no problem," she said reassuringly. Sakura thanked her as she escorted her to the door.
The rain fell in sheets as she leisurely walked back to her apartment. She loved the feeling of rain on her bare skin; it reminded her of all the nights Team 7 had been forced to camp out in the torrential downpour. Looking back, she realized once again how much she missed those days. It pained her to think about it, so she pushed it to the very back of her subconscious as she did with most of her thoughts these days.
When she arrived at her house, she noticed that the door had been repaired in her absence. She made a mental note to thank Kakashi and Naruto, and went inside to pack. She sauntered down the hallway, stopping when she reached her room. Sighing lightly, she opened her closet doors and set to work packing a week's worth of clothes and a heavy cloak into the waterproof bag. She turned her attention to the containers holding all of her weapons. She packed as many as she could fit into her thigh holster and the rest she neatly organized in the many side compartments of the rucksack.
She heaved the bag over her shoulder and carried it into her bathroom, where she dropped it on the floor. Strategically, she gathered all of the essentials she'd need on her trip, including a towel and washcloth, and packed them. Just as she was leaving, a knock sounded from her front door. Hinata and Naruto were waiting for her on her porch, along with a squad of five ANBU. Inner Sakura growled ferociously, and wrenched open the door. She latched onto the blonde's ear and yanked him inside, promptly slamming the door on the others.
"You and I need to have some words," she said forebodingly, dragging him into her living room and forcing him to take a seat on her couch. She released his ear and sat next to him.
"What was that for?" he asked heatedly.
Sakura pointed a finger directly in his face and hissed, "You proposed to Hinata?"
"That was hardly deserving of that reaction. I was expecting more of an 'Oh Naruto, I'm so happy for you!'" he teased, rubbing the side of his head. She scoffed and clenched her hands in her lap, an increasingly annoying habit of hers that was starting to get under her skin.
"You've only been together for six months!" she reprimanded him. He smiled and punched her in the arm.
"Sakura you've been so busy lately, of course I wouldn't expect you to notice," Naruto said, beaming brightly.
She eyed him apprehensively and dared to ask, "Notice what?"
"Hinata's pregnant," the blonde announced proudly. Sakura's breath hitched painfully in her chest.
"What?" she whispered as an unparalleled jealousy overtook her senses. The blonde went off into an epic tale that Sakura completely blocked out. Naruto's sudden proposal made absolute sense to her now. It didn't ease her mind at all; it only made her all the more apprehensive about the eminent trip they were taking. "You're bringing a pregnant woman on a trip all over the country?" she asked when he was finished with his story. He stared at her like she was crazy.
"NO! She's just here to say goodbye when we leave," he explained quickly. She sighed in relief and nodded, her outlook on the trip lightening considerably. At least she wouldn't have to watch the happy couple for the next few months. "Have you told Sasuke you were leaving yet?" Naruto inquired.
"He knows I'm not coming back," she answered truthfully. The blonde nodded and stood.
"Well let's go then! The sooner we leave the sooner we get back!" he said excitedly. She sighed and stood, following him out the door and to the village gates.
AN – Review! :D