Here it is. The next chapter is finally up. Enjoy.
Diclaimer: see all the other chapters because I'm tired of repeating it
Ch. 15: Just Some Minor Problems
Sakura woke up in her room. She didn't understand where she was at first. The last thing she remembered was talking to Sasuke. Sasuke had been actually talking to her about his thoughts and feelings. Now she was in her bed. No, that wasn't right. It wasn't her bed. She was at the Uchiha compound. This was one of Sasuke's guest rooms but it already felt more like home that her apartment. She got up and went to find Sasuke. He was sitting at the kitchen table. He looked up at her when she walked into the room.
"You're awake," he stated.
"Yes. Are you alright?"
He just nodded. Sakura smiled at him and then started to make breakfast for them. Jugo walked in a few minutes later. Sakura placed food in front of both men then sat down across from Sasuke. They ate in silence for a few moments. Sakura was the first one to speak.
"Sasuke-kun, what are you doing today?"
"Training with, Naruto. We decided it's time we see how strong the other has gotten."
Sakura smiled and amusement danced in her emerald eyes. Some things never change. Sasuke and Naruto would probably always be trying to out do the other. They always had and they probably always would. After everyone had finished eating Sakura began to clean up the dishes.
There was a knock on the door. Sasuke got up to go answer it. There was a man at his door. He had black hair and red eyes and he wore a leaf village headband on his forehead. The man smiled when Sasuke answered the door, "Hello. My name is Hikaru. Is Sakura here?"
Sasuke nodded and walked back to the kitchen. Sakura looked at him in curiosity. Sasuke shrugged, "Someone named Hikaru is here."
Sakura's smile made Sasuke frown. She rushed from the room towards the door. Jugo watched his friend in amusement. Sasuke was jealous and he didn't even know who the guy was. His tone showed his amusement when he asked, "Are you going to go see what's going on?"
Sasuke shot him a death glare. It didn't have any affect on Jugo. The big man just continued to grin at his leader. Sasuke let out a growl then turned around and started back towards the door. Sakura and the guy, Hikaru, were talking about something. Sakura was shaking her head. Hikaru didn't look happy with her response. He was being insistent. Sasuke walked up to them. Sakura looked at him over her shoulder with a pleading look in her eyes. Hikaru glared at Sasuke now. What the hell had he done? All he did was walk up to see what was going on. He hadn't given the man a reason to glare at him...yet.
"Tell her she's allowed to leave this compound," Hikaru demanded.
Sasuke looked down at Sakura with a raised eyebrow. She gave him a helpless smile and explained, "He wants me to go eat lunch with him."
"She won't because she doesn't want to make you unhappy by leaving," Hikaru spat at Sasuke.
Sasuke was starting to wish he hadn't restrained himself and had just punched the guy. Instead he smirked, "I won't lie to her."
"Does that mean she can't leave this compound?" the man demanded.
"No. She can come and go as she likes. It means if she goes with you I'll be unhappy," Sasuke stated.
"Why the hell would that bother you?"
"I don't like you."
Sakura was looking between the two with worry. She really didn't want them to start fighting especially beens it would be a pointless fight. Nothing would make her choose Hikaru over Sasuke but Hikaru didn't see it that way. If the stubborn man fought with Sasuke he would end up in the hospital and the medic knew it. Sasuke didn't bother controlling himself. If Hikaru managed to piss the Uchiha off then he would get his ass kicked.
Hikaru continued to glare at Sasuke, "Why does that matter? She can have friends you don't like."
"The problem is you don't want to be her friend."
"Yes I do."
Sasuke mentally rolled his eyes, "No, you want to be more than that."
"And that bothers you?" Hikaru sounded incredulous.
Sasuke didn't bother to respond. He had already said that it would bother him and he refused to repeat himself. Though, it was mostly because he couldn't believe he had admitted that anymore than Hikaru could. Hadn't he already decided not to admit his feelings for Sakura to anyone? Yes that's exactly what he decided. Now here he was hinting at it to some punk that just had a big mouth.
"Sakura, come on. You don't have to listen to everything this jerk says. Why does it matter if he isn't happy?"
"Because I love him," Sakura answered as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
Hikaru's red eyes widened in surprise then his voice grew with contempt, "I bet you've already slept with him, haven't you? I wonder what the village will think of their precious little healer if they knew you've become the whore of the traitor."
Sasuke reacted before anyone had time to prepare for it. He moved around Sakura and lifted Hikaru off the ground by his shirt. Hikaru's eyes widened when he looked into the Sharingan eyes of Sasuke Uchiha. Those blood red eyes made ice look hot and they were as hard as diamonds. For some reason the look in those eyes was more terrifying than anything else. Perhaps it was because the rest of his face was completely blank of emotion or maybe because no one in their right mind angered an Uchiha this badly. Sasuke's voice was barely above a whisper and held a great deal of threat for the man he spoke to.
"Don't you ever say that about Sakura again."
Hikaru tried not to start shaking as Sasuke tossed him backwards. He scrambled up and ran for it. Sasuke turned back to Sakura who was looking at him in surprise. Jugo stood a little ways off and he was still wearing that damn grin. He had heard what Hikaru said and if Sasuke hadn't gotten to the bastard first Jugo would have beaten him. But since Sasuke had taken care of the asshole Jugo took great delight in grinning at the Uchiha's jealousy.
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It was a around dinner time and Sasuke was searching for a certain pink haired kunoichi. She was supposed to meet him for dinner but she was late and that made him worry. Not that he would ever admit that out loud. It didn't take him long to find her especially with his Sharingan eye. When he got within sight of her he felt the growl trying to break free of his control. Standing in front of her was that bastard from that morning. She seemed to be trying to tell him to move but he wasn't being cooperative. Sasuke started to walk forward when he heard what Sakura was saying.
"Look, Hikaru, I have to go. I'm already late and Sasuke-kun is probably worried."
"Is he all you think about, Sakura? Let that traitor fend for himself. He doesn't deserve you anyway," the man responded with venom.
Sakura glared at him, "Don't you dare talk about Sasuke-kun that way."
Hikaru grabbed her arm, "You shouldn't spend so much time with him, Sakura. People might think that you like him."
"Let go."
He didn't. Instead he started to walk forward. Sasuke felt something inside him snap. The next thing he knew he was standing in front of Sakura and Hikaru was getting up from the ground. The red eyed man wiped the blood away from his mouth. Sakura was looking at Sasuke in shock.
Sasuke's voice was hard and cold, "Don't you ever touch her again."
Hikaru sneered, "Why not, Sasuke? Is it because you like her?"
Sasuke didn't respond. He just turned and began to steer Sakura away from there. Hikaru jumped into their way, "She is perfectly capable of defending herself you know. If she doesn't want me around she'd tell me."
Sakura's emerald eyes looked right at him, "I don't want you around."
"You're just saying that because your precious Sasuke doesn't want me here."
"Why doesn't matter because the result is the same. Go away," she stated.
He gave Sasuke a glare then spun around and stalked off. Sakura turned to face Sasuke with a smile, "Thank you. I was afraid he wasn't going to listen to me."
"Why didn't you just punch him?"
"I didn't get a chance. You beat me to him," she said with a indulgent smile. "Sorry I was late. I didn't mean to be."
"Don't worry about it."
She smiled at him again. He felt something in him melt at the sight. Sasuke closed his eyes and backed away. His voice was gruff when he said, "Let's go eat."
Sakura just followed behind him. She had been surprised when Sasuke had defended her. Then again he had at least thought of her as a friend if nothing more. He had been acting real strange recently though. Sometimes he didn't seem to want to be anywhere near her. Then there were times when he seemed perfectly content to be right beside her.
Sasuke was trying to sort through his own emotions at that moment. He knew what he had to do. There was no way he could to anything else because he had allowed himself to care about her. He couldn't care about her. It wasn't allowed because that made her his weakness. He couldn't have any weaknesses. If he did then they would be used against him. That left him with only one choice.
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Sakura woke up that night. Something was wrong she knew it. After a moment she got up and got up to see what was wrong. She found herself standing outside Sasuke's room. Here she hesitated for a moment. What was she suppose to do? Her hand hovered over the door handle until she drew in a deep breath and opened it. It looked just like she had expected it to look like. The dominant color in the room was black. He seemed to favor that color. There was something wrong though. Sasuke wasn't in there. She panicked. The pink haired kunoichi looked for Sasuke everywhere. She eventually found him standing at the bench he had left her on all those years ago. He was staring at the bench as if it held all the answers. She walked up to him slowly.
"Sasuke-kun?"
He looked over at her. When he saw her and ironic smile crossed his face. His dark eyes bore into her green ones. She was getting the strange feeling that he was searching for something. Sakura reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. To her surprise he leaned into her touch.
"This is ironic," he commented.
"How so?"
"I was going to leave again."
Sasuke hadn't lied. When he left his room that morning he had every intention of leaving again and finding his brother. Then he had gotten to this bench and remembered the last time he had been here with the intention of leaving. She had come and tried everything in her power to make him stay. Then when that hadn't worked she had offered to go with him. Now here she was just like back then and probably for the same reason. This time however she wouldn't have to fight to keep him there. He had been right a few days ago. He was no longer capable of leaving her anymore.
Her eyes widened in fear when she heard what he said. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, "Please don't. Don't leave me again."
He wrapped one arm around her waist and the other tilted her chin up so that she was looking into his eyes. His tone was barely a whisper but she heard every word, "I'm not going anywhere."
"Why were you even thinking about it?" she demanded.
"Because I've discovered something about myself and it…scared me."
"What was it?" Sakura asked curiously.
"It doesn't matter now. Let's go home," he said with a resigned smile. Sasuke had started walking back towards the compound when Sakura's voice stopped him.
"Sasuke-kun, why did you change your mind? About leaving I mean."
"When I reached this place I realized I just couldn't leave."
She looked at him with confusion, "Why? I don't understand."
He walked back towards her until there was barely any space in between them. His onyx eyes looked right into hers and she couldn't seem to look away. There was something in that dark gaze that hadn't been there before. He took her chin in his hand and gently pressed his lips against hers. Sakura's reaction was instantaneous. Her muscles turned to jello and Sasuke had to wrap his arm around her waist to hold her up. Sasuke deepened the kiss without hesitation. Sakura knew she would need to breathe soon. After that thought she immediately began to wonder just how long she could go without breathing. Oxygen was overrated anyway. In the end their bodies' demand for oxygen won and they pulled away gasping for breath.
Sasuke took her hand in his and began to walk towards the Uchiha compound again, "I'm not going anywhere, Sakura. I still have to kill Itachi but then I'll still have one more goal left. The person I need to complete that goal with is right here."
Sakura blinked in confusion. Her brain still wasn't working properly after that kiss. She had a feeling that if she shook her head you would be able to hear her brain sloshing around because it had turned into mush. Sasuke smirked at the dazed look in her eyes. When they reached the compound he pushed her into her room then went to his own room.
The kunoichi stood there for a moment trying to process what had happened. When it had hit her she collapsed onto the ground because her muscles once again refused to support her. She pressed her fingers to her mouth. Then pure happiness grew inside her. She couldn't believe it. The only thing left to wonder was why did he do it? Did he love her? God, she hoped so. She stood up and walked over to the window. She couldn't wait until tomorrow.
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Sakura began to wonder if maybe she had dreamed that night. It had been a few days and nothing seemed to have changed. Sasuke still treated her the same as he had. There was good news now though. Shikamaru had finally proposed to Ino who was thrilled. She wasn't the only one that had received a proposal. Neji and Tenten had also finally decided to tie the knot. Sakura was happy for her friends and helped them shop for their dresses and do all the planing. Other than those two events however everything was the same. Suigetsu and Karin still argued though they were obviously in love. Jugo was still nice except when his other personality took over and Sasuke had to fix him. Naruto was still a knucklehead and Kakashi still read Icha Icha Paradise.
Sakura walked out of the hospital with a sigh. This was her first night shift since that day that Hikaru had made her late for dinner. She was going to the Uchiha compound to make dinner for Jugo, Sasuke, and herself. A male voice cut through her thoughts of what to cook with one word, "Sakura."
She looked over and there stood Sasuke Uchiha himself. He was smirking at her surprised expression and he pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning on. Sakura smiled once she got over the shock, "Hello, Sasuke-kun. What are you doing here?"
"I came to walk you home. What else would I be here for?"
She blinked, "You must be in a good mood today."
"You could say that."
They walked in a comfortable silence. Sakura was content to just walk beside him and Sasuke just wasn't much of a talker. She looked at him through the corner of her eye. He seemed different somehow. Almost as if he was...content. His expression wasn't any different then it was any other day but something was different. She just couldn't put her finger on it. She continued to watch him. Then she saw it in his eyes. They were different. The normally emotionless onyx eyes had a new emotion deep in their depth but couldn't identify it. She could just barely tell it was there. Suddenly those dark eyes focused on here, "What is it?"
"Oh, uhh, nothing. I was just...thinking," she stuttered.
He smirked. That made her glare at him. Why in the world was he smirking at her? She hadn't done anything...other than stutter but that was beside the point. That didn't mean he had to smirk at her. He could just ignore it like a decent person. She looked away from him with a huff. Then the jerk had the nerve to chuckle. If it hadn't been so surprising she would have given him a piece of her mind. As it so happens though she went into a state of shock.
"Did you just chuckle?" she asked him.
He chose not to answer her. He did however continue to smirk at her. She huffed again and then quickened her pace. Sasuke watched her in amusement as she stomped in front of him. They arrived at the compound and Jugo smiled at the two of them in welcoming. Sakura couldn't help but smile back. It wasn't Jugo's fault that Sasuke was being an arrogant jerk. The big man sat in the kitchen across from Sasuke as Sakura cooked. They talked about plans to catch Itachi. Sasuke was getting restless about that. He wanted to get it over with so he could go on with the rest of his life but Itachi wouldn't cooperate and sit still so Sasuke could kill him. That man had more lives than a cat.
Suddenly there was a shout outside and the three of them rushed out to see what was going on. Sasuke activated his Sharingan eyes when he saw them. Itachi and Kisame were in the village along with several other members of the Akatsuki. They were attacking the village. The other shinobi were already out there fighting. It looked like they were winning. Jugo, Sasuke, and Sakura jumped into the fight to defend their home. It didn't take long. The Akatsuki began to retreat yet Sasuke was still wary. It had been too easy. He glanced over at his best friend. Naruto was fine. Everyone had kept a close eye on him because everyone knew that they were after the knuckleheaded blonde. They didn't want to let them get their hands on him. Sasuke jerked when he heard a familiar voice call his name.
"Sasuke. Look who I have."
Sasuke spun around and saw Itachi but that wasn't what grabbed his attention. Unconscious in his brother's arms was the pink haired medical nin that had occupied his thoughts for the last few weeks. For the first time in his life Sasuke felt something like panic race through him. His Sharingan eyes met his brother's. He had never wanted to kill Itachi more than in that moment. Itachi smirked.
"Well, little brother, what are you going to do now?" he asked him.
Sasuke didn't respond. Instead he waited for the point. The entire village was focused on Itachi now. The rest of the Akatsuki members were standing around him with identical smirks on their faces. Sasuke's eyes didn't leave Sakura's still form. Naruto came up beside him in silent support. Kakashi and the rest of Rookie nin plus Teams Gai and Snake joined him shortly after that. Everyone stood there looking at the Akatsuki with a identical cold looks.
"Give Sakura back to us, asshole," Naruto demanded.
"I will just as soon as you give us the nine tailed fox," Itachi responded. "You have one week. If we don't get the fox by then well this girl will suffer the consequences."
"If you lay a hand on her no power on this earth will save you from me," Sasuke's voice was cold as ice and the look in his eyes matched.
"We'll see little brother. You have one week."
The entire Akatsuki group left taking Sakura with them. Sasuke stood there for a moment then he punched the ground with all his strength. Everyone had to dodge the aftershock because of the force behind it. When Sasuke looked up the look in his eyes terrified everyone. His eyes held the same murderous intent that they had all those years ago when Itachi had first attacked the village. He was breathing hard and his body was shaking. He only had one thought running through his head. 'If they lay one hand on her I'll make them suffer a fate worse than death. Screw that. I'm going to make them suffer anyways just for taking her.'
There you have it. I hope you liked this chapter as much as the last one. Don't forget to let me know that you do.
