Dreams
the third night.
One time, during a girls' talk, Ino had laughed at her.
"You still dream of him?" she taunted, a grin set to her lips. "No wonder you haven't gotten laid yet."
"The fact that I've never slept with anyone doesn't have to do with me dreaming of him," she retorted indignantly. "What about you? How many times have you been with Kiba now?" She could've sworn that her best friend and Shikamaru would've gotten together, but she supposed the world held many surprises.
Ino waved her hand, as if dismissing the subject. "Drunk. No-strings-attached sex doesn't count." She paused, and Sakura rolled her eyes. "But we did do it one more time after that."
"I'm probably going to stay single my whole life," the medic-nin said, although not disappointedly. "I'll die a virgin."
The blonde draped her arm around her shoulders. "And that's why we have alcohol and clubs!"
That night, Ino went out with Kiba, because she sure as hell wasn't going.
x
For some strange reason, Sakura felt refreshed the next morning. When she woke up, Neji was the only other person awake. The sun was just peeking above the horizon, and even the birds bothered to greet her.
"Morning," she muttered in her usual morning tone, grimacing when the chill air bit at her exposed skin when she stood up and stretched.
"Good morning."
She didn't even consider how she managed to return to the camp when she fell asleep at Sasuke's side. But then again, he was as stealthy as a snake, and even quieter. Slipping her body back into her sleeping bag in the middle of the night shouldn't have been hard if everyone was asleep. The only thing that surprised her was the fact that he actually bothered to do that.
She began to pack up her sleeping bag, getting ready to move. It was times like these when she longed for a shower, and maybe a place to brush her teeth. "We're heading to town today, right?"
"Yes. We'll stay at an inn tonight—Tenten's been complaining about her lack of hygiene."
A relieved smile spread on her lips. "Hygiene is good," she told the Hyuuga. An indifferent "hn" was heard, but other than that, he didn't respond.
When Shikamaru and Tenten woke up and got themselves ready, they set out for town. Sakura wasn't sure what trails Sasuke had left for them, but she was sure they would be easy enough to find.
The village somewhat reminded her of Konoha. It was a nice place; smiling people, children playing in the streets, boisterous market. She was even tempted to giggle when she saw a ramen stand standing on a corner. Surely, Naruto would be angry once she returned.
"How are we splitting up this time?" Tenten asked Neji, the squad captain.
He thought for a moment. "Groups of two. The village is small; four people gathering information will have us finished before lunch. I would like us to be careful; in a place like this, anything can happen. Two minds are always better than one. Tenten, you will come with me. Shikamaru will go with Sakura."
Shikamaru heaved a sigh as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Tch. If you want to take your girlfriend on a date, wait 'til we get back, at the very least."
Neji's gaze hardened on the Nara. "Watch your mouth."
He waved it off. "Sure, sure." It wasn't that much of a known fact that Hyuuga Neji was dating Tenten, but once you were in the ANBU and worked with them more, you noticed the subtle differences in which they treated each other. Once, Neji had picked a flower, saying it was poisonous, before giving it to Tenten anyway.
Once the couple had walked off, Sakura and Shikamaru stood there for a few prolonged moments. "So, where do we go?" she asked.
He shrugged. "A place where I can rest while gathering information." She recalled how Jiraiya used to infiltrate small villages, and smiled lightly at the memory.
"How about a bar, then?" she suggested. "As long as we don't drink too much, I'm sure it's fine." She didn't like the idea of running into drunkards—and she would've never done it if she was alone—but with Shikamaru, she figured it was alright.
They went into the first one they saw. She soon realized that Neji and Tenten had the same idea—the two were sitting at the counter, in their transformed identities. The Hyuuga had his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders, and he watched them warily.
"So that's why he split us up the way he did," she heard Shikamaru mutter as they left the bar. "Less conspicuous. Sakura, let's transform, too."
After finding a deserted spot, both of them promptly said softly, "Henge no Jutsu!" and transformed into what they hoped were normal looking people. Being shinobi and never having to pretend to be a regular civilian in Konoha, Sakura wasn't confident in her jutsu—but then again, she was sure Shikamaru's wasn't great, either. There was never a fashion amongst her generation; each person had their own unique taste in clothing. Naruto was a good example.
They entered the next bar, hand in hand. She didn't like the way her bangs in her peripheral vision weren't pink, but brown instead—but she supposed it couldn't be helped. She and Shikamaru seated themselves at the counter, and the bartender, a middle-aged man, asked for their orders.
"One sake," her partner requested. "Two cups."
At this time in the morning, there weren't many people occupying the bar. In the corner, she saw some middle-aged men, passed out on their table and drooling. She shuddered lightly as the Nara's hand left hers and an arm was draped over her shoulders.
She sat between Shikamaru and another man—a younger one. He looked relatively sober with a small cup lazily held between two fingers. Taking a sip of his drink, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, and to her surprise, her gaze met with his, hard and strangely familiar.
"Sir," he called out to the bartender. Sakura took a wary sip of her sake, wrinkling her nose at the bitter taste and the way it burned her throat when she swallowed.
"Anything I can help you with?"
Shikamaru looked as though he was having a good time. When she glanced over to him, and his eyes were already half shut as he downed his cup in one go. She nudged him gently with her elbow. "Don't overdo it."
"Yeah, sure."
"Another round, please." Her attention shifted back to the man sitting on her other side. His voice was low, but smooth; almost as if he was playing a trick on the entire world. As the bartender handed him another bottle, he struck up a conversation. "Say, ojii-san, have you ever heard of shinobi?"
Just by the way the arm twitched around her shoulders, she was sure that had caught her partner's attention. The bartender put away the cup, and proceeded to wipe another. "Yeah, but I've never actually seen one. What about them?"
"Do you know what they do for a living?" The atmosphere in the bar dropped immediately, and Sakura instinctively tensed up. There was certainly something up with this man. A subordinate of Sasuke's, maybe? They sure were laying out their trails nice and easy for them to find.
"No." The older man didn't even seem at all interested in the subject, but he had to keep his customers satisfied. "What do they do?"
The younger man beside her leaned forward onto the counter, as if telling a secret. In turn, the bartender leaned forward as well. The words formed on his lips almost terrified her, even though she knew the answer already. "They kill people."
The tension in the air was almost palpable, and she leaned into Shikamaru slightly for support. "You think this is intentional?" she murmured softly to him. She felt him shrug.
"Who knows."
"A shinobi must be able to deceive," the man beside her continued. "He must be able to fool the enemy, and hold his act out until the very end."
Funny, she thought. She was sure she'd heard that somewhere else before…Turning her head to look at him again, she took in all of his features.
A good build. He had pitch black hair, grown out long enough to reach his shoulders. The way he sat indicated how relaxed he was, and her eyes narrowed as he took another sip of his sake. That hard gaze he had given her just a minute ago…
She downed her entire cup, frowning when her throat lit up on fire. Sasuke. Obviously it was Sasuke. As if she wasn't stupid enough already. Sasuke was sitting right beside her, basically yelling in her face where he was going to go and when he was going to leave. She nodded in thanks when Shikamaru filled her cup again.
"You're not a very good drinker," he reminded her. "Don't get too carried away."
She waved her hand, mimicking him. "Yeah, sure."
"Must be hard, then, huh?" After putting away the cup, the bartender threw the cloth he was using into the sink in the back, and supported himself on the counter in front of Sasuke with his elbows. "You need a keen mind and a trained body."
"Yeah." Sasuke nodded. "It's a real complicated thing. There's even an organization and all that commotion that goes against all of the villages where the shinobi reside. Have you heard some of the rumors?"
"Do tell."
"The organization's called Akatsuki," his voice dropped considerably quieter, and she had to strain her ears to hear, "and one of the members killed his entire clan, save for his younger brother." It seemed the bartender was finally growing interested in the story he was being told.
"Really, now? What happened to the younger brother?"
The infamous Uchiha smirk met the man's lips, and Sakura wondered how her partner couldn't possibly recognize who he was. "He survived to this very day, and is searching to kill the murderer. Rumor has it that he's headed towards Konohagakure, the shinobi village in the Country of Fire."
"They're just shoving the answers in our faces, as if we're too stupid to look for them ourselves," Shikamaru muttered in her ear. "It's kind of irritating."
She smiled teasingly. "But not troublesome, right?"
A weary sigh met her ears. "Not troublesome," he agreed.
"You seem to know a lot about these things," the older man said. "Are you a shinobi yourself? Passing by, perhaps?"
Sasuke shook with silent laughter—though she was sure that it was fake. She was sure an expression as happy as that would never grace his regular features. It just wasn't possible. She sighed in slight disappointment when Shikamaru emptied their sake bottle into his own cup.
"No, but I do find these things interesting."
It was then that the middle-aged men in the corner began to groan and heave themselves up in their seats. Slightly slurred profanities about hangovers and uncomfortable chairs were heard as Sasuke and the bartender fell silent.
There were three in total. They lumbered to the door, and Sakura narrowed her eyes at them. They were the type of people she disliked the most. They did nothing but laze around all day, thinking that everything was going to be done for them…It was people like them that pissed her off.
One of the men caught her watching them, and a grin met his lips as he sauntered in their direction. She felt Shikamaru's grip on her tighten, and she was glad for the security.
"Say, you're a pretty one," he commented as he took her chin with two sticky fingers, clearly ignoring her partner. "How much do you charge?"
"It's early in the morning," she said bitterly, turning her head so he would let go of her. "And I'm certainly much too expensive for you." Inner Sakura threw a few feisty punches, a wicked grin set on her lips.
"Tch. What a bitch…" The man beckoned his friends over. "How 'bout we just steal you for a while, then? Then we won't have to pay at all." She frowned when she heard the knuckles begin to crack. "We'll show you just how great morning sex is."
"I'm pretty sure that even a prostitute wouldn't be desperate enough to fuck pigs," she heard Inner Sakura comment, and she almost laughed—until she realized she had said it out loud as well. The words hung in the air, heavy and just waiting to fall. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shikamaru's jaw drop slightly. She couldn't recall ever saying something so vulgar in her life.
The first man growled, his brawly features scrunching up into an expression of anger. "Fucking whore…" Her muscles tensed and she readied herself for a little fight—until a slim hand landed on the man's shoulder.
She turned her head in surprise to see Sasuke watching them intently. The man growled. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I don't believe a ruckus here would be very convenient." He nodded his head towards the bartender. "He profits from this bar. You wouldn't want him to go broke, would you?"
"What made you think I give a shit?" Despite the man's fierce expression, it began to dissipate, little by little. Sakura glanced at the transformed Uchiha, and noticed the way he watched the three men. It couldn't even be considered a glare—but it was much deadlier than anything she'd seen in her life.
There was a long, tense silence. "Fine," the man finally muttered. "We'll leave." Once they noisily made their way out of the bar, she let out a sigh of relief. She didn't know what would have happened if they had caused a commotion here.
What baffled her more, to be honest, was the fact that Sasuke would do anything like that for her. "Thank you," she told him politely, a strained smile on her lips, "but I'm sure I could've handled them myself."
A smile made its way to his face, and she wondered vaguely if this really was the Uchiha whose clan had been slaughtered. "My pleasure to help a lovely lady."
She heart Shikamaru grunt; their signal to leave. After bidding their goodbyes, they made their way out and waited at their meeting place for Neji and Tenten. They'd gathered enough information.
Her partner let out a low whistle as they made themselves comfortable under the tree. "That was pretty tense back there."
She nodded. "Definitely."
Tense, and…intriguing, she decided.
x
Of course, not all of Sakura's dreams were nice.
Sometimes, she died. Not for any particular reason; she was just on a mission, and was killed. Her name was engraved in the KIA stone, and that was the end of that.
Other times, Sasuke abandoned her for Ino. Infuriating as it was, the other girl was her rival, after all; she had the ability to oppose her. Given, there were many girls that were prettier than both of them, but since Ino was the only girl her life really revolved around, she would be the one who took the Uchiha.
The ones she thought were bittersweet always made her wake up to damp eyes.
They were different. The most common one was where she and Sasuke got married and had two children—one boy and one girl—both of them as adorable as anything. Then, news of Itachi would come, and he would leave without hesitation or saying goodbye or anything—and then, just like that, he'd die.
She didn't like that. Those dreams weren't considered nightmares, but they were pretty damn close.
x
On the third night, Sakura was naïve.
Staring out the window of their room, she watched Tenten's sleeping figure rise and fall to her breathing in her bed. It was past midnight now; maybe she should get to bed, too.
After concluding and summarizing their information, it was settled that they would head back to Konoha the next day. Depending on how obvious the trail was, they might be able to make it back in a day—maybe a day and a half. After that, Tenten would notify the Hokage immediately and set up defenses on the outside.
But meanwhile, they were allowed to rest. Sakura enjoyed the feeling of having just showered and feeling clean. Camping out too much surely wasn't healthy.
"If I just wanted to see you and talk to you…would I be allowed to?"
"You're better company than Karin."
She knew it was foolish of her to even consider seeing the Uchiha—especially when she had already conversed with him earlier in the day. But she already knew it wouldn't be enough; it wasn't really Sasuke she was talking to, but some man in a bar she just happened to bump into.
Surely, she could go a day or two without seeing him. After all, she had gone three years without so much as a glimpse of him, and the last time she had saw him, it was just that—a glimpse.
"You're stupid," Inner Sakura laughed. "D'you really think that you could stay away from him?"
Obviously she could. She wasn't even supposed to know where he was, anyway. She was Haruno Sakura from Konoha, a member of the ANBU assigned on a mission. And yet, she was two-timing this mission…
As quietly as she could, she slipped out of the room and closed the door behind her. Tenten looked pretty tired today; hopefully, she wouldn't wake up.
It was warmer in the village than it was out in the wild. She breathed in the air, tasting the scents of food wafting from the nearby stands. She couldn't believe she was actually doing this. She should be sleeping, recuperating while she could…Not meeting a missing-nin in a rendezvous.
"Sasuke-kun?" she asked tentatively, to no one in particular. She held her hands to her chest, as if hoping, praying that he'd show up.
He did.
"Asking for me, Sakura?" His voice was still different, but that didn't mean it didn't hold its usual mocking tone.
She smiled hesitantly at the black-haired man. "Without you today, our cover might've been blown." She was in her transformed form as well; she supposed she might as well not risk anything while with him.
He turned away, holding an air of indifference. "You could've handled them easily." It was rare for him to ever acknowledge her power, even back in the old days—but maybe, back then, she didn't have any power to acknowledge—so she catalogued this moment carefully in the back of her mind.
She laughed lightly. "You wouldn't miss a chance to show off."
"I thought that was Naruto?"
She was surprised at the lax attitude he had with her tonight. He was even pulling a few sarcastic remarks that she didn't even expect him to have the humor to pull anymore, but here he was, smirk and all. She supposed that was a good thing. "Yeah. Him, too."
There was a short, but comfortable, silence. "It seemed like you enjoyed the sake you had today. How about we go to another bar tonight?"
She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I don't have much money to spend. I thought you'd know that."
"On me, then."
Although she had no idea where he would even get the money from, she didn't have the heart to refuse. This could almost be considered date—something she would've done anything for back in the old days. This isn't the old days, though, she reminded herself. But she discarded the thought almost as quickly as it came.
She shrugged. "Sure."
Although it was late, this particular bar seemed to have many customers. There was even some music playing with a—admittedly, empty—dance floor near the front. Sasuke led her to a table in the back corner, and they ordered their drinks.
"Who's on your team?" he asked offhandedly as he swirled the alcohol in his cup. "I didn't recognize the man you were with today."
"Oh." She took a tentative sip of her cocktail, appreciating the sweet taste over the bitter. "That was Shikamaru. He transformed, too. Tenten and Neji were off somewhere else."
He nodded. "You should be careful, then. With a mind like Shikamaru's and eyes like Neji's, it wouldn't be a surprise if they figured you out."
Sakura frowned. "Hey, it's not as if I can't lie, okay?"
"You aren't great at it."
Rolling her eyes, they fell into a comfortable silence. She took this time to look around her; the bar wasn't as shabby as the one she had been to earlier today, and the people here certainly seemed much nicer.
What did Sasuke do during the day? Sleep, perhaps? Train? Plan? It was then that she realized, she didn't know much about him now—not that she ever knew much about him.
"Hey, Sasuke-kun, what do you do nowadays when you're not pursuing your brother? Do you have any hobbies?" The soft piano music was smooth like water, flowing in and out of the crowd and straight into her ears, almost as if determined to sooth her almost too wary mood. She wasn't sure if she was wary of being caught with him, or of Sasuke himself, though.
"There isn't a moment when I'm not pursuing him." His answer was resolute, final.
She decided to probe a little bit more. She didn't like to be in the dark when it came to the Uchiha—she never liked it to begin with. "You mentioned a girl named Karin. What's she like? You have other people in your group, right?"
He leaned back in his chair, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. "Karin's a chakra-sensing kunoichi. Annoying; all she does is bicker with Suigetsu or bother me." He glanced at her, as if asking, What, am I supposed to continue? "Jugo's Jugo. Nothing much about him."
She nodded slowly. Summarizing three people in three sentences; she was sure she'd never be able to do that. "So, do you like them?"
"Just shut up, Sakura. I've had a long day."
She was taken aback. Inner Sakura laughed loudly, her voice echoing in her suddenly empty mind. Just shut up? He was the one who asked her to this place, and he told her to shut up? Okay, she's pretty lenient, considering that this was Sasuke, but even she had her fair share of pride.
"Look, Sasuke-kun, if you don't want me here, I'll just go—"
"I never told you to go. I just told you to shut up." His voice had an edge to it, and he sat up in his chair again, leaning forward towards her. In the dark, if was difficult to tell if he had the Sharingan on, but she knew it would probably be too dangerous to push her limits any further.
"So what, you're just going to listen to him?" Inner Sakura snorted. "You're going to just sit here quietly like a good little girl and let him do anything he wants to you?"
That seems to be the plan, she thought darkly to herself. She didn't regret calling him out. Just spending time with him, no matter how it turned out, was always worth it. She didn't know why, but it just was.
She was about to take a rather large gulp of her cocktail, until she felt a hand grab her hair—roughly, almost—and turn her head. Hastily setting down the drink before it spilled, she let out an inaudible muffled sound when a pair of lips pressed hard onto hers.
And all she could do—all she wanted to do—was kiss him back.
There was only so much you could do when you were sitting in separate chairs. Sakura wished she could feel his body pressing against her the way it was the nights before. She wanted to feel his warmth, have his taste on her lips as a little memento when he left later on tonight…
A gasp of surprise almost escaped her lips when a warm tongue gently probed into her mouth. Was this supposed to be a good feeling? Did lovers kiss like this? She wouldn't know, because she'd never had a lover before, let alone a boyfriend of any sort. But she decided that if this was Sasuke, whatever he did would be considered good.
She could feel him mapping out her mouth, and suddenly the room seemed that much warmer. The back of her neck dotted with perspiration, and even his breath on her lips was hot. Her chair screeched against the floor when she pulled herself closer to him, completely forgetting where they were. His fingertips grazing her cheek, his other hand at the small of her back and only inching lower…She swore to God, only he could make her feel this way.
They weren't close enough. Their bodies were still separated, even if only by a few inches—she wanted closer, needed closer…
There were many times that she had dreamed—during the night and the day—about this moment. Kissing Sasuke—kissing Sasuke!—and having him accept her like an equal…Despite all of this time, she still hadn't thought that it was possible. She was left flustered, not exactly knowing what to do, as she was inexperienced in this area. All of this was just overwhelming her.
His hair was so soft between her fingers, his lips so unbearably perfect…
He pulled away.
Sakura's eyes snapped open, breaths heavy and hair dishevelled…and she stared at him. She couldn't believe this person…this person who didn't even look like Sasuke because they were still transformed, could do these things to her. That small flame in the pits of her stomach continued to burn, but as the seconds ticked by, died down to only an ember.
She opened her mouth, and found herself unable to say anything.
"You should go back." She knew it was wishful thinking on her part, but she honestly thought that he sounded somewhat embarrassed and flustered. "You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow."
On the third night, Sakura was naïve. And Inner Sakura never failed to remind her that she probably always will be.
A/N: Much thanks to xx. false - deception for beta reading this entire fic. It's complete, now. You deserve a break. :D
Now that I mention it, why don't you do her a favor and visit her page? Read a fic or two, and drop off a review. Her link is on my page, and she's also under my favorite authors. :) It's pretty effortless; all of her works are pretty short. She'll love you to bits.
Most of you have probably read it, but if you haven't, check out Like VitaminWater by ANGELforSHOW. I don't know what's so good about it, but it's got me hooked. Even inspired me to start an AU of my own—but it won't be out for a while, so don't really anticipate it, 'kay? XD
Also quoting ANGELforSHOW, nice people review. :) It kind of made me sad when the reviews in chapter two were half as many as the reviews for chapter one.
09-07-09: Edited.