Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto or anything related to the series.
Sakura had started out walking, quite slowly at first, then her pace quickened with the passing of each block. After about three, she was sprinting, then after about five, she was jumping rooftops and hopping electrical poles. She flew past her house, there was no point in entering; she'd find nothing there to comfort her. Instead, she found herself at the training grounds, which were naturally empty as it was well past 10 at night.
When she finally stopped in front of the three poles Kakashi had once pinned them to, she felt total emptiness. There was nothing, or so she thought until she clenched her right fist so tight her nails broke the skin of her palm. From there, she bit her inner lip, also drawing blood. Then, at last, she reared her chakra swollen fist back and made mulch out of all three wooden figures.
"Ahhh!" she screamed, disregarding anyone she may have disturbed. Stop! Just stop! Please! She pleaded with herself to stop the pain in her chest. She could convince her heart to stop beating, right? She could forget to love him, I mean, C'mon, how hard could it be? She huffed in air, panting and sweating, she just dropped to the floor.
It was funny. Here she was, so full of energy, but so defeated. Physically, she felt like she could take on Karuma, but emotionally, she was dying. No battle wound had ever come close to this agony.
I... just can't. Sakura remained on the ground, without a facial expression, without a word, she just sat and became lost in herself.
Sasuke flashed between roofs, it would have taken a very skilled ninja to see him. He wasn't in a hurry, but he was swift in his movements. A thunder-like sound startled him from the northwest, but besides the sound nothing else gave evidence of an emergency, so he continued toward her house. He eventually saw it in the distance, so he jumped to the ground and started up the front steps.
He paused and observed the building. It looked like the roof had been repaired in the month since Leaf had been begun reconstruction after the war. Upon further analysis, he noticed it was dark, completely.
Have her parents already gone to sleep? He decided to hell with it, he'd ring the doorbell and should they answer he'd tell them he needed her for a medical reason at the hospital. After he rung the bell, it remained empty in the house. He rung it again. Nothing... there was no harm in breaking an entry, right? Then again... he reached for the door handle and turned... it wasn't breaking an entry if it was unlocked, was it? He stepped in and surveyed the area and immediately he knew something was amiss.
Where are all the family photos? ... and shoes? He studied the entry, a crucial area of a house. Upon entering a family home, the norm is to find evidence of a family, like pictures, shoes, coats, perhaps the smell of food or dust from the amount of people living there. None of which he witnessed. He found one pair of shoes, no doubt Sakura's. The color and size were a dead give away. There was a significant lack of photos, in fact, there was only two: their team seven photo and a photo of Sakura, Shizune and Tsunade from what appeared to be within the recent years. Likewise, her side table was almost free of dust, something you'd only find from a one person abode.
Perhaps the family portraits are farther in. He continued inward, mindful of any sound, but nothing made him suspicious of any occupants in the residency. He entered the living room, which was surprisingly to his liking. It was just enough, nothing was excessive. Two sofas parallel to each other, black leather with a visible frame and a glass coffee table in between them with a matching steel frame. Beneath the sofas and table was a white, fluffy rug large enough to separate the legs of the sofas and table from the wooden floor but small enough that the wood paneling could be seen around the rest of the room. The kitchen was to the right, two steps led up to it. It was a semi-open floor plan, but instead of a family feel, it radiated independence, contemporary, and... lonely essence. Nothing was out of place or messy, save a few medical reports that lay on the bar that separated the living room and kitchen.
This isn't right. It's like she's been here alone for longer than would seem appropriate... he turned on his heel and approached the stairs. He scoured the steps and took no time opening doors. It was a three bedroom house, two and half bath. The only bedroom that evidence of a resident was her's. It was the most personable rooms of them. She had a queen size bed with four white, wooden posts and a red bedspread with white accent pillows. In the far corner, nearest to the windows was a full body, oval mirror that stood on black, metal posts which swirled at the end. At the end of her bed was a navy blue chest, then parallel to her bed was a white, wooden wardrobe. He found himself relaxed and almost basking in her room. It was feminine but not overbearing. It was Sakura, it was sophisticated and elegant. The best part, though, was the smell. A faint hint of cherry blossom and vanilla, just there enough for him to smell.
Wait... Sakura. He frowned. He knew she had not gone to the hospital. She didn't leave in the right direction from the restaurant, if anything, she could lie from her mouth for damn sure, but she always gave herself away physically in the end.
It was then that he heard it. A bloodcurdling scream from the same place as the thunder-like sound. He thought for a half a moment.
Tch! Uchiha, you dumb ass. Sasuke left her house without a trace but with a definite new discovery: Sakura did not live with her parents. There wasn't anything that even suggested they ever existed. No photos, no clothes, no notes, no letter, nothing. And he would find out why. He ran toward the training grounds.
He practically skidded to a stop. His eye widened, his mouth was slightly ajar and his eyebrow twitched. What it kami's name...
The ground was destroyed. How had no one felt this? How had he not felt this?! How... there... He saw a glimpse of pink. It was her. She was just laying down on one of the remaining pieces of ground. He slowly approached her and stopped about eight feet away.
"Sakura... what happened?" He asked with a poker face.
She didn't even move. Her face was straight, she was laying face up, each arm splayed out on either side, her legs draped on the floor about a foot apart from each other. He inhaled sharply. Answer me, he thought, getting irritated at her silence. He used to never be able to get her to shut up, and now when he actually wanted her to speak, she didn't even twitch.
"Sakura," he said, moving a few steps closer. "Sakura, why did you lie to us?" A few seconds passed and she had yet to acknowledge his presence. Sakura simply remained transfixed on the stars and moon. He noticed where her skin was exposed she was glistening in moisture, no doubt this damage took a toll on her physically. The moonlight reflected the droplets on her in an enticing way. When did she become so... radiant? It was dark, besides the moon, but looking at her was like having a star on Earth. His frustration had almost disappeared until he saw her eyes. They were bloodshot and swollen. He gritted his teeth. Had she been crying?
"Sakura, I don't have tim..." he began.
"Then just leave," she interrupted without breaking her gaze from the sky.
His eyes hardened from disbelief. What? He thought sharply. He stepped up to her and leaned over her face, blocking her view from the moon.
"Excuse me?" he replied.
At first, her facial expression didn't change. She just needed to get him out of her head. Then, he said that. Her eyes came back into focus, like her soul was returning from a journey.
Oh. My. God. Sasuke-kun?! she thought frantically. Her mouth dropped opened and her whole body tensed.
"Sas...uke-kun?" she whispered as her eyebrows began to furrow.
"Hn," he stated, amused at her somewhat more normal response. "I asked you a question, Sakura."
She stared dazed and confused into his eyes, but damn did she love being dazed and confused in his eyes. He didn't even have to use sharingan on her. Whoa, wait.
"What?" she asked.
"What the hell happened here?" he repeated, offering her a hand to get up.
She took his hand, a simple gesture that put a lump in her throat and skip in her heartbeat. After rising to her feet and steadying herself, she took in the sparring area. Sakura gasped and squeezed Sasuke's hand that neither had released after she stood.
"Oh dear Kami..." her eyes widened and she gasped for air. She destroyed it! Thank Kami the trees were still standing but the same could not be said for the opening. Tsunade would have her ass.
"Well... I was doing some chakra exercises and I guess I got a little out of hand," after her last word, she realized something she still had a tight grip on. She released his hand quickly, but not without noticing his hand's movement to grab hers again before he caught himself. She questioned if what she had seen was correct but she dismissed the idea and faced him.
"So that's that! Maybe don't mention this to Tsunade when you ask for permission to leave. I think I'll hold this off as long as I can..." she said.
This isn't exactly going to go unnoticed when the genin show up in the morning... he thought to himself but chose to not bring that to her attention.
"Sakura, how come no one noticed this? Damage like this would cause some sort of quake in the village or a sound effect."
"I always set a jutsu around the fields when I practice alone for that very reason," she replied. She began to skip around the craters in the ground toward the village and also released the jutsu.
Sasuke followed. "I see, and why did you lie to us in the restaurant? You said you were going to the hospital."
Sakura didn't stop, she continued forward, although she was at a lost for words. She hadn't expected to see him again tonight. She was usually quick on her feet to come up with a little excuse but right when she thought of something, he spoke again.
"And why does your house have no evidence of you ever having a family?" She stopped and he copied.
Her heart may have stopped, she wasn't sure yet. He went to my house? Why is he so interested? He WENT into my house?! He remembers where I live? He knew where I lived? She was aware then that her heart had not stopped because she was trying to calm it down even a little bit.
Without turning around to face him, she said just loud enough for it to be audible, "Why do you care?"
Just as he had taken her by surprise, she had taken him in the same manner. Because... I... fuck, he thought.
A/N: I was afraid I wouldn't upload it tomorrow so I want to go ahead and publish this! If I have time tomorrow, I might publish another chapter. Regardless, my weekly update is fulfilled! ~Tsu