Hello there! Long chapter this time, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks A LOT for your reviews, your follows and favorites. Leave me your opinion in a review, please. They encourage me a lot.
I am also looking for a beta-reader, so if anyone is interested, just message me. Thanks again guys!
(Correcting mistakes right now, thanks for pointing them out on the reviews!)
'Kusanagi'. That is the name of his katana. Sasuke grazes it's edge with his fingertips. The polished steel reflects the sun and his own black eyes. He cleans it thoroughly, erasing all the bloody stains but not everything disappears. His eyes narrow when he sees a little scratch. Even his katana cannot survive entirely the horror of the war.
Sasuke sheaths his Kusanagi with a heavy sigh and wipes the sweat off his forehead. He is finally back at home. The fans painted on the Uchiha compound doors welcome him. Something into his heart softens and his breath relaxes. Home. He will be able to get off his torn and dirty clothes. His boots are practically brown with dust. He frowns. A hot bath and hours of sleep may not be enough to clean everything that is haunting his mind.
Four days raiding the surrouding villages with some of the Uchiha soldiers were enough for his young body. His uncle Madara does not understand what 'mercy' means and he stills claims the peasants to pay taxes for the lands and the houses that supposedly are in the Uchiha territories. And Sasuke actually wonders what those taxes are really about. Why do they have to pay for living on the lands they were naturally born? Why do they have to fear the Uchihas to the point of even hiding or running away? Sasuke quickly dismises these ideas. He needs to clear his mind before facing his uncle.
"Sasuke, I see you are back." Madara raspy voice surprises him when he enters the main house.
A swift darkness surrounds them. His uncle doesn't like opening the curtains. The shadows engulf the hall and Sasuke forces himself to face Madara's stern eyes.
"Uncle." Sasuke nods politely. "I wish to rest on my room for the rest of the day."
"Did you plan on avoiding me?" The oldest Uchiha laughs sarcastically. "Am I that scary, my nephew?"
Sasuke suddenly has the urge to demand explanations for what he had to do these four days, for the crying children and the horrified farmers, but he shuts up, because he is an Uchiha and he has to respect his Uncle's decisions -even if he feels like a very criminal.
"Well, I guess that you are off suspension. Sasuke, your katana is needed in our family, even if you are still young." His Uncle's eyes drift to the clear sky that peeks throught the open door, narrowing to avoid the unwanted sunrays, like he is thinking about something that utterly bothers him. His voice turns even more strict. "What do you want to do with that girl?"
Sasuke knows this moment was about to come. He breaths deeply, and lies.
"She is a geisha, Uncle. You already know what geishas are for." His voice feels as cold as an icy stone -but Sasuke knows that his Uncle is not a fool.
"She is not what she appears to be." Madara's eyes supervise sternly Sasuke's face. "Do not make a fool of yourself for a pretty face and a pair of tits." His callous hand grabs his nephew's bruised arm, his voice turns to a dangerous threat. "You are an Uchiha, do you hear me? You little brat, do you think you can fool me? Do you think that I do not know why you chose to be her danna?" Madara's mangekyo sharingan suddenly stabs Sasuke's eyes, and he has to make an effort not to shiver. "If you let anything important out of your mouth infront of her, I will make sure you end up like one those civilians you terrorized today. Do not even try to betray me. Understood?"
"Uncle, that is enough."
Sasuke turns his head in the direction of the familiar, manly voice that appears to be his savior, and so does Madara. Itachi is standing below the stairs, his arms crossed and a frown on his elegant brows. Sasuke's brother might be the kindest person in the world, but he might also be the scariest when mad.
Madara steps back from Sasuke, his own eyes narrowing too at the sight of Itachi. His mangekyo sharingan fades slowly, daring Itachi to say something more before murdering him.
"Sasuke did his work just fine. He needs to rest now." Itachi's voice resounds in the huge hall for the second time like a command.
Madara and Itachi's eyes clash, a dark battle which makes Sasuke even shudder a little. He cannot imagine what a fight between his uncle and his brother would be like, but he is sure that a lot of buildings would be destroyed. Itachi is the strongest and most intelligent shinobi in his clan, but Madara is a legend. The only one who had faced Senju Hashirama and survived the fight, the only one who possesses the mangekyo sharingan, the only one able to summon a perfect Susanoo. Sasuke does not want to admit it but it scares him. A lot.
"You two, get out of my sight." Madara suddenly spats and leaves the hall.
Itachi then starts walking towards Sasuke's room and his little brother silently follows him, his soul still disturbed by the previous clash. They both stay quiet till Itachi closes the door and Sasuke falls on his bed, finally letting a deep sigh when his tired body crushes the mattress. His eyes scan the ceiling just trying to find something to calm him down. Itachi sits on a black chair near Sasuke's bed, his eyes kindly focusing on his worn out little brother.
"Are you that tired?" Itachi mocks him with a light laughter.
"Hn." Sasuke frowns. How can he be so light hearted after what just happened?
"The cherryblossoms are growing nicely on the garden. Shisui is taking care of them everyday."
"I can stand by myself, Nii-san." Sasuke complains about what happened previously. He will never admit that he needs his brother help sometimes. "I am a strong shinobi, I am an Uchiha."
"No, I did not mean that you are weak, Sasuke. I just want you to be happy." Itachi makes a small pause. "It is what father and mother would have wanted."
Sasuke raises his head to look at him but his brother is now watching the cherryblossoms outside in the garden. His dark eyes are tired but soft. Mother. Father. His family. How can he be so calm?
"Oh, and you received a letter." Itachi continues talking, a smile reaches his lips. "A little, grumpy toad brought it today. I guess it is from your kitsune friend."
"My friend?" Sasuke narrows his eyes. I do not have any friends.
"Now go have a bath and rest." Itachi gets up and takes a few steps to the door. With a last smile he says enigmatically. "Uchihas are not warriors nor conquerors. Uchihas are a family. If someone does not behave like family to us, then he is not an Uchiha."
"Chiyo, where is the kimono?!" Sakura shouts to the maiko that hurries in another room. The pink haired girl tries to calm down her trembling hands before placing the hairpins on her hair. "I have been waiting for ages!"
"I am so sorry, Sakura-sama!" Chiyo runs into Sakura's room with the ironed kimono. "I could not find it!"
"And where the hell is Izumi?" Sakura paints her lips red and stands up to wear her kimono. "She should already be here. I need the khol for my eyes before leaving."
The pink haired geisha is not usually rude to the little maikos under her training, but today is not a common day. Today she needs to be perfect, and that is slowly getting on her nerves. She does not want to admit it, but she is growing up under Tsunade-sama's influence too much. It is on moments like this when she misses Konan-sama's the most. The blue haired woman was calm and she always knew what to do without raising her voice.
"Sakura, you are going to arrive late to the temple!" Tsunade-sama growls while entering the room.
The okiya is under a huge chaos. It has been only a few hours since the infamous letter arrived hanging on a hawk's claws and Sakura is still shocked. She did not expect his first event as Sasuke's geisha so soon. Tsunade-sama made the deal official a week ago and the pink haired girl is still unsure about it. She clearly remembers Konan-san's lessons about taking care of a danna so the tea ceremony, the correct facial and physical expression and the shamisen are the activities she has practised everyday until she ended up exhausted.
The letter is still on her boudoir. It is written in a restrained caligraphy. Short sentences. Cold words. She briefly imagines Sasuke moving a writing brush above the piece of paper with a frown. "A party that Uzumaki Naruto organised." Sakura knows about the Uzumaki-Uchiha peace deal, but when did the two boys get so close to each other? She also remembers that the dark haired Uchiha did not enjoy the last party he attended, so she cannot stop wondering what is all this about.
"Here, Sakura-sama!" Izumi stops by Sakura's door, still panting and sweating from running by Konoha's streets. "Your favorite store was closed so I-"
"Give it to me, fast." Sakura roughly takes the khol pencil from Izumi's hand.
"Sakura." Tsunade-sama says sternly, frowning and crossing her arms authoritarianly. "You already know what to do, don't you?"
"Hai, Tsunade-sama."
The girl takes a last look at the mirror. She is a geisha. She is the Nightingale. "My task is to memorize every single word that could be useful for Tsunade-sama and earn Sasuke's trust." Her green eyes appear doubtful, not sure of what she has to do even if she knows it. She always tries to focus on her strenght, on her medical ninjutsu, on the way she saves people everyday at the clinic. But she has already lost three children this week and her hands, her legs, her cheeks, everything in her body appears weaker now. "How can I save other people if I cannot save myself?"
Half an hour later, Sakura walks under the torii to reach the Water temple, since her chakra affinity is this very element. Sarutobi-san is already waiting for her by the entry. The young girl admires the beautiful architecture. An elegant red roof with gold details stands on huge, wooden pillars. Inside there is a simple, yet mesmerising altar made of stone, decorated with two statues of the sacred familiars that guard the temple. A pair of magnificent hawks watch over her when she smiles to the old monk.
"Good afternoon, Sarutobi-san." Sakura bowns her head as a sign of respect, and so does the man.
"You are a little bit late, as always." His face gets covered with wrinkles when he smiles.
"I had to help Tsunade-sama at the clinic." Sakura whispers before walking to the altar.
Sarutobi-san follows her after taking a piece of paper and a writting brush. The old man is under Tsunade-sama will. He has always helped the okiya since it was Senju Hashirama who saved his clan and his own son from the war. And, somehow, he has grown fond of the kind girl that is now approaching the altar. A little pinkette whom Tsunade-sama rescued and brought to him so Sarutobi-san could teach her about 'the way of the soul'. It was him who performed the 'name ritual' when Sakura reached a reasonable age and when Konan-sama decided it was time for her to become a real geisha. A girl who came without a name -covered in bruises, starved to the bones, her soul broken and her eyes swollen from crying till the very dawn- is now a beautiful young woman ready to give her life for the shinobi peace.
"Please, Kami-sama, I pray for a good night. I hope the party goes smoothly -no problems nor missunderstandings." Sakura whispers to the Water God's symbol -kneeling by the altar and closing her eyes- while Sarutobi-san writes her prayers on the paper. "Please Kami-sama, let me go back home after it is finished with a smile on my lips. Please Kami-sama, watch out for the clinic, the young maikos and the young shikomi."
A cough behind her makes her eyes shot open. Sakura turns her head to the sound's direction and a dark aura waiting at the door welcomes her sight. "Sasuke?"
"Uchiha-san, this is a private rite. You should not be here." Sarutobi-san says politely even if his browns are frowning threatingly. He might be old now, but he has not forgotten about his shinobi skills.
"Hn." Sasuke scowls at them. "I do not want to be late."
Sarutobi-san is about to snap at him but Sakura raises, delicatedly smoothing her emerald green kimono. A golden dragon crawls from her legs to her back embroidered on the silk. Sasuke is also well dressed in her own black kimono with the Uchiha fan on his back. His trademark hairstyle stands proudly, his skin looks pale and beautiful, but his black eyes dare Sakura to contradict his own words. If he feels something about seeing her for the first time after the danna deal, he does not show it. However, swallowing her disappointment, Sakura forces herself to smile sweetly at her danna. Isn't it her job after all?
"I am ready to go, Sasuke-san."
Sasuke's scowl intensifies at the honorific following his name, knowing that Sakura is putting a large distance between them, but she does not mind at all. Sarutobi-san says goodbye to her, bowing politely, and watches her leave the temple.
Sasuke quickly falls into a fast pace to Konoha's streets and Sakura follows him a few steps behind the dark haired man. A deep silence engulfs the two of them, and she is afraid to break it, even if she feels that she needs to do it. What happened to their childhood dreams and games? What happened to those bright children who laughed and ate rice with their hands after playing with his brother's kunai?
Her eyes water a little bit when she remembers the day she left the village under Tsunade-sama's care. She also remembers Sasuke's kind tears when she said goodbye to him. Now there is only darkness on his featuress, the shadow of a boy who has grown up enduring a hard life, the scars of the war cover his aristocratic face.
Sakura snaps out of her memories when they reach the ryoriten's door. Sasuke stops and checks the street, like a very spy would have done. The young girl now realizes where they have been walking to. A dirty narrow street full of brothels, dirty gambling houses and old, cheap ryoritens. The walls seems to squeeze her. She has never been to this part of Konoha, Konan-sama always warned her of these kind of places. So why would a rich, powerful heir like Sasuke bring her here?
"Naruto did not want anyone to notice this party." Sasuke says quietly like he is reading her mind.
Sakura slightly nods, avoiding his gaze. She nervously smooths her kimono once more. An old man enters a brothel, a prostitute winks her painted eye to the young, curious men that happen to walk by the small street, the smell of alcohol and opium poisons Sakura's lungs. "I am a geisha. I am a kunoichi. I am an iryo shinobi." She can heal and she can fight, so why is Sakura so scared?
"You should not be afraid." Sasuke says, reading her mind once more. His eyes are glued to the ryoriten's door, avoiding Sakura's widened eyes.
"I am not afraid, Sasuke-san." Sakura manages to mutter somehow and she is grateful that her voice sounds kind of determined. "Shall we go in?"
Then his eyes suddenly reach hers, and the world seems to stop for what seems an eterny to Sakura.
"I will protect you from now on, Little Bird." Sasuke says and slides the door open.