I've finally finished the chapter. I tried to keep everyone in character but I think I slipped a few times especially Suigetsu and Karin. This is a major turning point for most of the characters so I hope you don't mind. I promise it's just for this one chapter. Anyways on with the story.
Disclaimer: I no own Naruto
Ch. 14: A few Confessions
Sakura looked around the Uchiha compound. The place needed some serious cleaning. It looked like no one had lived there in years which was probably the case. She wasn't sure she could live in the place her parents had been killed in. The good news was that it didn't need any repairs just dusting.
The rooms were large and all of them were furnished beautifully. The room she was staying in was right next to Sasuke's. It had mostly cool colors in it. You know the blues, greens, and grays. It was very calming in a weird kind of way. Sakura liked it. She expected Sasuke's room was in bold colors. It wouldn't surprise her to see red or black as the dominant colors. Not that she would ever see his room. In fact she was getting the feeling that he was avoiding her.
"Have you settled in, Sakura?"
Sakura jumped a little in surprise then turned to face Jugo. He took up most of her doorway. She smiled at him and nodded, "I like it here. Has Sasuke come back?"
"Yes. He's putting food away in the kitchen. Apparently he hasn't lived here in quite some time."
"He has been gone for the last few years," Sakura commented as she walked out the door.
It took her a little bit to find the kitchen. She couldn't wait until she knew her way around the place without getting lost. Sasuke was in there just as Jugo said he would be. She smiled when he looked over to her. Sasuke nodded acknowledgment then went on putting food away. Sakura watched for a moment then began to help.
Sasuke said nothing. To tell the truth he was still trying to find every reason he could that would prove he didn't have feelings for the girl beside him. Sasuke glanced at her through the corner of his eye. He wanted to say that she was ugly and annoying like he had back when they were genin but he couldn't. She wasn't ugly and if he was honest with himself she never had been. Sure she had been annoying but even then he preferred her company to any other girls'. Sakura had always been smart and never needed anything explained to her more than once. She had let her emotions get the better of her quite a few time though. Sasuke smiled as he remembered their first mission when he had woken up to Sakura crying because she had thought he was dead. The girl was also kind to everyone. Sure she had a temper but she never exploded for no reason. She was strong too and had definitely become a lot more stronger than she had been back then.
Sasuke shook his head. He couldn't allow these thoughts to continue. They wouldn't lead anywhere he could go. His chance at happiness was gone. He had willingly given it up when he ran to join Orochimaru. As soon as they caught the Akatsuki and he avenged his clan he would leave Konoha again. They would never allow him to stay here because he had broken the number one rule. He had become a missing nin. They would let him get away only because he had helped them catch the Akatsuki but that was it. Sasuke knew this and accepted it. So why did it make him feel so...depressed? Was this place still home to him or was it because of Sakura?
"Sasuke-kun, how do you feel about tomato soup for dinner?" Sakura asked him. He glanced at her and quickly looked away. Her head was tilted to the side and she was looking at him with open caring in those green eyes. Nothing made him feel more guilty or happier than that look.
"Fine."
She smiled, "Alright. I'll get it started then."
She set about getting dinner ready. Sakura knew that tomatoes were Sasuke's favorite food. In fact she had payed close attention to everything he liked and didn't like growing up and then again after she had woken up in Otogakure. She loved him and would do anything to make him happy. So she made his favorite food and helped him put things away. She would defend him against anyone who said anything bad about him or tried to hurt him. In fact, the only thing she wouldn't do for him was stop caring about him and that was because she couldn't. Sakura gave a small sad smile. She would love Sasuke for the rest of her life for better or worse.
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Several days passed. Sakura spent most of her time cleaning up the place. She had to do something and that seemed like a good idea at the time. Especially since it had been raining for the entire time they were there. Tsunade had told the entire group that had fought the Akatsuki to rest. None of them would be assigned any missions until they were well rested. So they took care of things that they all needed done at home.
Sakura was walking down through the house when she saw someone sitting outside on the porch. The shadow was too small to be Jugo's so that left Sasuke. She decided to see if he wanted anything. To tell the truth Sakura was worried about him. He seemed more withdrawn than normal since coming here. Sasuke wasn't normally talkative or particularly friendly but he had been worse than normal for the last few days.
Sure enough when she slid the door open there was Sasuke sitting on the porch. Most people would have thought that he was relaxed. His eyes were closed and he was leaned against one of the post holding up the roof. However, Sakura knew better. She saw the slight frown and the tension in his muscles.
"Sasuke-kun, are you alright?" she asked softly. She didn't expect him to tell her but she hoped he would. Maybe this once he would talk to her.
At first it didn't seem like he would answer her. He hadn't even acknowledged her presence let alone the question or the concern behind it. Just when she was about to leave he opened his eyes slowly and motioned for her to sit. She sat beside him and watched him stare at the rain. The only sound was the rain. Sakura debated for a moment then broke the silence.
"Is it the memories?" she asked cautiously.
Sasuke nodded.
Encouraged because he actually responded she asked, "Of your family?"
He nodded again.
"Sasuke-kun, you know if you want you can talk to me. I won't tell anyone and I'll listen," she said quietly.
He closed his eyes again and she heard the shaky breath. She knew he had nightmares about the day his parents had been killed. She also knew that he hadn't admitted that to anyone but Kakashi. Sasuke was full of pride and rarely let it go for anything. It didn't help that he thought emotions were a sign of weakness.
Suddenly Sasuke spoke. His tone was low and for the first time in her memory filled with suppressed emotions, "I've had a dream every night since coming back."
"A nightmare?"
He nodded.
"Talk to me, Sasuke-kun, please. I want to help you."
"Why, Sakura? I've done nothing but hurt you since we've met and you still want to be near me."
She tilted her head to the side with a small smile, "I love you."
He looked at her for a moment then back at the rain. It seemed to take forever before he spoke again, "Itachi was my older brother and at the time I looked up to him. He was always there for me. When my father ignored my accomplishments Itachi wouldn't. There were time my brother made my father pay attention to me. I thought Itachi cared about me and I cared about him."
Sasuke stopped. His voice had shook on the last sentence and he wanted to get his control back. Sakura scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her head on his chest. After a brief hesitation Sasuke wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders.
"Then one day I was walking home from the academy. I knew something was wrong and it scared me. I began to run in search of my mother and father. When I found them someone was pulling a sword out of my father. For a moment I couldn't move then a kunai cut my cheek and Itachi stepped out of the shadows. At first I didn't understand. I tried to tell him something was wrong with mom and dad. He used his Mangekyo Sharingan to make me see my family's death. Then he told me to run and I did."
Sasuke's voice had been expressionless but Sakura knew it hurt him to talk about it. That day made him who he was now. One thing for sure if she ever got her hands on Itachi she would make him pay for doing that to Sasuke.
"At first I managed to keep everyone at a distance. I couldn't care about anyone because that would make me weak. Then I joined team 7. For the first time I had friends and occasionally I felt content. I should have known it wouldn't last. When Itachi came to Konoha to get Naruto he told me that if I wanted to beat him I would have to get the Mangekyo Shaingan. To do that I would have to kill my best friend. At the time that was Naruto."
Sakura's eyes widened. She had never heard Sasuke admit to that. Sure they had all known it but the last thing Sasuke would do was say it out loud. It was one of those understood things.
"I knew it would be dangerous for me to stay close to Naruto. At the time I could say no. I would get stronger my own way but... I wasn't sure that I could keep saying no. One day the power might have been too tempting because I really wanted to beat Itachi. I knew I had to get away from Naruto in order to protect him from me."
"So that's why you left," Sakura whispered.
"Yes." His arm around her shoulders tightened. "I had a nightmare that night. It wasn't the same one that I had always had. In this one I was the killer. I had killed Naruto and turned into my brother. I stood there staring into a mirror to see Itachi's face looking back at me. I left that night."
"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. Why didn't you talk to us about it?"
"I almost did. When you confronted me I almost stayed. But flashes of that dream kept running through my head. So I didn't."
"Why did you say thank you?"
"You were the first one to say that you loved me and mean it. That meant something to me."
The two sat there in silence. Sakura was processing everything he had told her. Sasuke was waiting for her response or comment. This wasn't easy for him. He had stopped lying to himself. The feelings he had for her were far stronger than he was comfortable with. He would admit, at least to himself, that he was in love with her. Sasuke didn't know when or how it happened. He just knew that it had. For now he would keep it to himself. Let her pass this conversation off as a moment of weakness on his part. He wished he could think the same.
"I would say I'm sorry but that doesn't seem to be enough," Sakura said. "I'll do anything I can to help you, Sasuke-kun. I promise."
He closed his eyes again, "I know."
Neither of them noticed that Sasuke hadn't let her go yet. His arm was still wrapped securely around her shoulders. Sakura fell asleep right there and she hadn't let go of him either.
---Meanwhile with Karin and Suigetsu---
Karin was glaring at him again. That wasn't unusual. He intentionally made her glare at him a lot. What was unusual was that he hadn't done it intentionally this time. All he did was go to the kitchen. What in the world had he done this time? Suigetsu couldn't think of anything to save his life. She shouldn't be mad at him right now...should she?
"You should be in bed. Your injuries haven't finished healing," she said.
"Oh, come on, Karin. I'm thirsty and I can walk just fine," he replied in mild annoyance.
"Then you should have called me to get you a drink and sure you can walk until you reopen one of your wounds."
"Why does it matter? It'll heal again."
"Damn it, Suigetsu. Normally I have to fight to get you out of bed now I have to fight to get you in the bed. Get your lazy ass in bed right now before I break your legs again so you can't walk."
"Fine I'm going, I'm going," he grumbled while he walked back towards his room. She was acting weird. Sure she was still threatening him but she was actually taking care of him. A few days ago he would have said that she would die before helping him.
He was sitting on the bed when Karin came in with a glass of water. He studied her over the rim while he drank. She still had crimson hair and eyes. Her clothing was the same as it was a few months ago. What had changed? What made her act the way she was right now?
"What's wrong with you?" he asked suddenly.
"What?"
"Why are you taking care of me?"
She fidgeted. That was new. Karin was never nervous. Well, at least not in front of anyone. That's when he noticed the slight blush on her cheeks. What in the world? Was she PMSing? That had to be it. It was the only explanation.
"Because I wanted to," she said.
"You're confusing me, Karin," Suigetsu confessed.
"How so?" she demanded.
"You hate me remember. You've told me that often enough. Now here you are taking care of me."
"I never hated you. I just thought I did."
"Are you going to explain yourself anytime soon?" Suigetsu asked.
Karin fidgeted again. For the first time in a long time she was actually feeling self conscious. What if he didn't feel the same way? Well, then she would just have to convince him he did. That was all there was too it. However she couldn't do that if she didn't tell him how she felt.
"I don't hate you. I never did. I actually felt the opposite for you."
Suigetsu stilled. Slowly he stood and walked in front of her. He took her chin in one of his hands and looked her in the eyes. His light blue eyes were carefully blank.
"Then what do you mean?" he asked her.
Karin drew in a deep breath and said, "I mean that even though you're a dumbass, I love you."
At first he didn't respond. The silence lasted so long that she began to feel nervous. Suddenly he grinned, "Do you know how long I've waited to hear you say that?"
She shook her head.
"Neither do I. I stopped keeping track after a few months."
"Does that mean you like me too?"
"Like doesn't begin to cover it. I had Sakura convinced that I was insane."
"What do you mean?"
"Did it ever cross you mind to ask why I was always pissing you off?"
"I didn't know you were doing it intentionally."
"I was. It was the only way that I could make sure that you remembered I existed. I wanted your attention so badly that I would make you angry just to get it."
Karin gave him a rueful look, "There were better way to get my attention, Suigetsu."
"No there wasn't. You wouldn't look past Sasuke."
"I could to," she insisted.
He raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?"
"Yes really."
"Then you noticed that I've wanted you since the day we were put on the same team with Sasuke."
"You did?"
Suigetsu chuckled. He loved surprising her. She would get this clueless look in her eyes and her tone was hesitant when she spoke. He knew he wasn't acting quite like himself but as the Uchiha had proven loving someone tended to do that to you. Sasuke acted strange every time Sakura was within sight so Suigestu figured he could act strange now that Karin had finally noticed him.
Karin tugged on a lock of his hair, "Suigetsu, answer me. Do you really love me?"
He focused his attention on the red head in front of him with a smirk. She knew that look. Suigetsu was enjoying himself. She felt her irritation begin to rise. He was dancing around the subject on purpose the bastard. When she saw his smirk widen into a grin she forced herself to calm down. No way in hell was she going to let him irritate her right now. She wanted answers too badly.
"Answer me...dumbass," she demanded and yes she added on dumbass but he deserved it.
Suigetsu seemed to consider her for a moment then just tugged the hand holding her chin. The next thing she knew a pair of warm lips were covering hers. Karin felt her muscles melt. If Suigetsu hadn't been holding her up she would have turned into a puddle. Suigetsu didn't waste any time deepening the kiss. He had waited for so long for Karin to see him and suffered many bruises to make sure she didn't forget his existence. There was no way he was letting her go now. They separated when their bodies demand for oxygen became too great to ignore.
"This better not be a joke, Karin," Suigetsu warned and for the first time he sounded serious.
Karin rested her forehead against his chest, "It's not a joke. I really do love you, Suigetsu."
"Good. I hope you don't have any plans for the rest of the day."
"Why?"
Suigetsu was smirking again, "I'm supposed to stay in bed remember."
"Yes but..." she trailed off when understanding dawned. "Your injuries still need to recover. There's no way..."
He shut her up the only way he knew how. When the kiss ended Karin glared at him. She knew why he had done that. Suigetsu grinned because it worked and he had actually won an argument. Karin didn't go anywhere for the rest of the day.
There now I've finally tied up that loose end. Now there's only one left. I'm sorry to say but there'll probably only be 2 maybe 3 chapters left of this story. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm gonna go work on the next one now.
