Chapter Fifteen: A Silver Lining
Following behind one of Kakashi's nin-dogs, Rei raced to her teammates. With her newly acquired stamina and the switch from chakra concentrated on her arm to legs, she and his dog covered the distance fast, running into several ninjas on their way but stopped for no one. I have to get to them, fast! The scent began getting stronger and Kakashi's dog met up with his friend, Pakkun but the only person she saw was an unconscious girl. "Sakura!" she shouted and fled to her comrade's side. No no no no, this can't be happening! Her heart pounding loud in her chest, Rei, her ears plugged and unable to hear anything except for a heartbeat she was desperately trying to find...but none.
All because she went after Sasuke.
She felt the sting of tears in her eyes and her stomach started knotting, sweat rolling down her face but she felt like she was on fire and her mouth was open, ready to yell - until – she heard it. A faint heartbeat. Immediately, she started healing the unconscious girl. Her hands shook and the chakra wasn't concentrated at her palm and it shouldn't even be called a Mystical Palm with her weak technique but all Rei was worried about was if she was healing something and she was - amazingly, she was.
"She's fine, thank God."
Rei exhaled on the verge of tears, feeling like a blob of jelly. But because this was Sakura's life - Sakura's - Rei stayed longer by her side until it was completely assured that she will be okay. All her thoughts were concentrated on this pink haired girl in front of her, all she heard was Sakura's heart beat and all she worried for was to make it stronger, to make it steadier, to make sure that there was still life.
Finally when Rei looked up - sweat and tears down her face and on the edge of her eyelash - she saw Sasuke carrying Naruto on his back. And as much as she cared for Sasuke, she couldn't help but hate him for putting the other members through this. The thought made her stomach curl. Ignoring him, she switched her attention to Naruto instead, tending to him; not even sparing the Uchiha a glance.
0-0
When Rei woke up that morning, the fog of sorrow still did not lift. Pain from seeing so many ninjas die in front of her, hatred in herself for not being able to save more of them. She couldn't get out of the bed, not until she realized that the funeral had already began. Even then, finding the motivation to go was difficult.
The village had a heavy rainfall overhead, and she was soaked as she wandered around the village. She stopped by the Third Training Ground – and felt despair over how many names were added to the Memorial Stone.
Kakashi was there as well, and they didn't say a word. They simply walk with each other to the Hokage's funeral in silence. Kakashi saw the darkness that stained her eyes, the darkness that came along with seeing many die in front of you. She stood next to her squad and Sasuke looked at her sympathetically. But when he reached out to hold her hand, she jerked hers back and avoided his surprise glance. She closed her eyes, tightening her fist and covering her tears – for the Hokage, for the fallen – with the rain. And she wondered when she could ever forget the sadness that she felt now.
0-0
Still running on the ration pills she took two days ago, she decided to put it to good use and help Masayo out with her Dango shop. She had wanted to volunteer at the hospital but Kakashi had told her the injured were in good hands, and that she - being so young - should be distracted, not more immersed in the sick. To keep herself preoccupied, Masayo had conveniently needed a waitress. However, as soon as she began her shift, two suspicious ninjas arrived in dark cloaks and straw hats. She narrowed her eyes at them, sensing a strong amount of chakra from them both. Slowly walking towards then, her accusing eyes softened and a forced but easy smile blossomed on her face. "Hey there strangers," she said kindly as always, "what can I get you?"
"Just tea."
"Not any dango? We're famous here –"
"He said," the taller one interrupted, "just tea will be fine." Setting down the pot and cups on their table, she did so. Her kind attitude diminished by the second, by the time she placed the pot down, the tea had turned frozen and she left them. There was definitely something wrong, but as of the moment, her mood was darkening. Still, she suggested, "I still think you should try it." And left the shop.
0-0
Father and mother shouldn't have died, it didn't have to happen... If only I'd been strong enough, all of them would still be alive. My clan is destroyed.
Angry at his old self – his old, pathetic weak self – Sasuke threw a kunai at the edge of the terrace, only for a gasping Rei to appear. His eyes widened. "What are you doing here?"
"Playing target practice," she said and took a deep breath. "I just needed a place to think," she answered seriously this time and sat next to him. She stared at him strangely until Sasuke had enough of it and demanded to know why she was acting oddly ever since the invasion. Rei, who was once his constant partner – it was always the two of them, in all of their missions – had all of a sudden withdrawn herself and fled to Sakura and Naruto's side. She bit her lip, weighing whether or not to tell the truth until finally she sighed and apologized.
"I was just…so angry at you."
"At me?"
Her eyes flashed up at him. "Yes, you!" she exclaimed as of it was obvious. "You had to go off and be reckless, and by the time I got there, I thought Sakura was dead." The way her voice cracked, the realization of how much the other teammates really meant to her dawned onto him. She's not just mine, after all. "And to make it even worse, do you know how much ninjas I saw dying when you were gone on your stupid chase? They shouldn't have died, Sasuke! It didn't have to happen! If you were with me, we would've been strong enough to save them – and all those ninjas would still be alive. But now, so much has died…and their families are all mourning while you walk around with the dissatisfaction of not being able to defeat Gaara!"
Everything she said was completely true. The way she felt right now – the hopelessness, the anger – was so parallel to his that he didn't know how to respond. He simply gaped at her, speechless; his dark eyes clearly looked thrown off guard. Her breathing was heavy at finally releasing her thoughts but then she slouched and lay back on the ground, throwing her arm across her face.
"Wait…I don't mean that. I'm sorry. It's just that…" She sighed. "I'm just feeling so much right now and I can't…sort it out. It's wrong to blame you, Sasuke."
"No," he said quietly, "you're right." He laid down beside her. "I'm sorry."
She rolled her head, shielding her eyes from the sun but the light still reflected off those brown eyes that he came to love.
Wait, love?
He turned around, concealing his face from her but she threw her hand over his. It was her way of saying, "I forgive you for being a selfish jerk" and his fingers laced through hers. Out loud, she said, "Sakura's alive though…because of you and Naruto. So I shouldn't be that angry at you for it."
"Why are you so protective of her?" he asked, wondering out loud. Sakura didn't know her the way he did. She didn't know that Rei had a kekkei genkai, or that her father died, or that her mother had committed suicide and had forced Rei to aid her in it. They couldn't possibly be as close as Rei was to Sasuke and yet there were times it felt like Rei was talking on Sakura's behalf. He distantly wondered if it was a female thing. She let out a sigh.
"She's my teammate, Sasuke, of course I care for her." And then she paused. "I care for everyone in the village and you should start too."
"I can't," he admitted, his voice strangely distracted. I care for you, does that count for anything? They were quiet for a while, and finally, Rei was back to her normal self. When she was alone, she didn't smile and when they were together, she didn't speak too much. It was just who she was. The world knew Rei as this happy girl when in reality she was just playing a role of Rei Yukimora. In the days they trained together and the nights he rested alongside, he discovered that Rei was completely ordinary. She wasn't an angel - but she was completely honest and grateful. He realized that the combo of two was what gave her that glow. Most people lacked both mindsets whereas Rei did not.
He saw the birds flying circles in the sky and he glared at them, sitting up. "Kakashi," he scoffed, "the hell does he want."
She withdrew her hand and rolled to her side. "I'm going to take a nap, you better go."
Taking a nap, Sasuke thought with the smallest of smiles. He realized it was the first time that she claimed she wanted to sleep, rather than to rest to heal. Maybe Rei was finally getting better.
0-0
One moment, Sasuke was next to her as she lazily fell asleep on a beautiful sunny day but the next, Rei was walking around the village alone, wondering where all her teammates were until she ran into Asuma and he told her about Kakashi and Sasuke's condition. By the time she arrived at the medical core, Sakura was there attending to him. She sighed, relieved. "He's okay," Rei said, being able to rest now. Her body was finally feeling the fatigue as the military pills started to burn off. Soon, she would go back to normal…and ill again.
"Yeah, Guy-sensei just carried him here and said that physically, he's fine…but mentally, not so much." Sakura bit her lip. She looked at Rei and then at Sasuke, and remembering the conversation she had with Ino that seemed like years ago. She had that dawning suspicion again that the two had been harbouring a relationship. Look at me - I make it sound as if they're doing something horrible! "Hey Rei," she began hesitantly, "can I ask you something?"
Rei looked up at the girl curiously. Sakura couldn't believe such a sweet, kind girl would do anything like be with Sasuke when Sakura's feelings were so clear…but would she? Then again, that wouldn't make Rei a bad person, but still…"You and Sasuke…is there something going on?"
Me and…Sasuke? She stared at the pink haired kunoichi. What is going on between us? Her friend's face was clear with concern and anxiety and Rei remembered the feeling in her chest when she thought that her fellow teammate had died and knew that she never wanted to cause Sakura pain ever again. Even if that meant lying to her. Sakura was kind and considerate – why cause her any trouble? So Rei laughed shyly, touching her hair. "Yeah, we're teammates."
"That's all?"
Thank God Sasuke was unconscious or else Rei would never have the courage to lie so blatantly. "Yeah," still, her voice sounded strained, "That's all." When Sakura smiled brightly at the girl, Rei knew she did the right thing. She decided to let whatever consequence come later. Just to prove her point, Rei trusted Sasuke in Sakura's hand and left the hospital.
By then, her energy was almost completely gone. And to add on that, it was like all the pain and maladies were being stored up in the past days was finally exploding inside of her. There was only one instant of a brief, intense flashing blind pain that seemed to shatter her core until she passed out immediately.
0-0
"Hm…it's been a while since I've seen something like this."
"You've seen this before?"
"It isn't a nin-related disease - it's a completely ordinary biological glitch that's found in regular people. Still, it's quite rare but I have a general sense of how to treat it."
"You do?!"
Rei's eyes squeezed shut, feeling the sharp dry crusts before she forced them open. In front of her was a undeniably beautiful, blonde woman talking to an excited Yuri. Rei felt dizzy and drained, unable to keep her eyes still. The blonde lady turned to the girl and smiled kindly. "Well good morning, sleepy head. You've been out for quite a while."
Rei groaned. "Don't tell me how long," she pleaded her voice dry and scratchy. And then remembering the conversation she heard, she sat up slowly and looked at the lady. "Was it a dream or did I hear that there's…a cure?" She tried not to sound hopeful, tried not to get her expectation up but as soon as the woman grinned, Rei couldn't help but finally dream of a longer future.
Finished writing the arc! It's not too long, maybe three thousand words. I'll post it up when this story is over :)
Thank you so much for all the reviews! I reeeeeally appreciate how much you guys like ReixSasuke, it means a lot. Update every other day!