Author's note:
Sorry for being a little bit late guys! I've just recently got a summer job and it gets hard to get some free time for writing. Thanks for following, favoriting and reviewing, it encourages me so much! And I'm currently half done with the new chapter of 'Loving Again' so don't worry :)
Thanks again to Yui Himura for being an awesome beta-reader!
-And yep, Naruto Gaiden has ended and I want to cry everytime I think about it-
She cannot really tell why she is doing this. She thinks it is not the right idea, but it is the best she could do at the moment. Sakura smooths once more her comfy yukata, a tick she has recently developed. It is sunny outside, so sunny it hurts to open her eyes too much. Summer is around the corner and she wonders how fast time goes by.
"Come in Sakura" Tsunade says.
And Sakura shivers because her Okaa-san voice is so stern and tired at the same time.
"Okaa-san" Sakura bows politely before closing the door behind her.
Tsunade just eyes her, the typical scowl Sakura would never grow tired of. Because the blonde woman is a soldier, but she is also her mother. The young geisha sits down on a chair infront of Tsunade's desk and she briefly takes a look around her. The office is just as old as she remembers. The paintings, the wooden floor, the soft light that peeks throught the half opened window. It feels so much like her Okaa-san.
"What is the matter, Sakura?" Tsunade asks. "I thought you were teaching your maikos how to dance."
"I was" Sakura smiles and whispers herself to be brave enough. "But I need to speak to you."
Tsunade stays silent, her scowl grows even more stern. Suspicion is taking over her Okaa-san's mind and Sakura needs to talk fast before the blonde woman's anger reaches it's top.
"I did not lie to you but I did not share all the information I had of Uchiha Sasuke-san."
"Do you know I could punish you for this, right Sakura?" Tsunade growls. "And you already know how my punishements are."
"I do, Okaa-san, but I was told to have certain privacity with my danna-" Sakura tries to explain herself.
But Tsunade does not like excuses.
"You lied to me!" She spats viciously at the pink haired girl and raises threathingly from her chair. "You ungrateful-"
"They are making a plan to destroy Uchiha Madara-san!" Sakura yells, also getting up from her chair and closing her eyes before feeling Tsunade's fist on her face.
But she does not feel pain. Sakura slowly opens her eyes only to find Tsunade's shocked face.
"They? Who are they?" The blonde woman mutters.
"Uchiha Sasuke-san and Uzumaki Naruto-san. They even got to make a deal with Hyuuga Neji-san and they are waiting for a opening to strike." Sakura explains hurriedly.
"Sit down, Sakura." Tsunade says after sighing. "I am sorry for yelling at you. This information is truly vital for me and the okiya. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"Sasuke-san was afraid that you would not believe him. After all he is Uhicha Madara-san's nephew."
"That brat can be sure that my hatred for Madara is greater than any other feeling I possess."
Tsunade starts picking up some papers and wets her writing feather into black ink. Sakura finally takes a deep breath. There aren't a lot of things that scare her, and Tsunade'ss anger is one of those things that frighten her to the very bone.
"What should I do now, Okaa-san?" Sakura dares to say while Tsunade starts writing.
"You did a good job, Sakura." Tsunade says. "There is no need to keep going after the young Uchiha heir. Just keep being his geisha, it is your only task." Her Okaa-san suddenly stops writing and her hazelnut eyes have a hint of worry. "I want you to stay out of this, Sakura."
"I know how to fight, Okaa-san, and I can heal any type of w-" Sakura begins to talk hurriedly.
But Tsunade stops her.
"Yes, I believe you are the best kunoichi right after me, but you are too young." Tsunade smiles sadly and it's the first time Sakura has seen her so melancholic. "War is the worst thing that can happen to any person and you know it first hand."
"I do but Tsunade-sama, this okiya is my family!" Sakura feels her eyes getting wet with tears and she cannot get to fight the sudden emotion that engulfs her. "I would give anything for you Okaa-san, you saved me and I owe you my life!" Sakura gets up and closes her eyes to prevent the tears from spilling down her cheeks. "I want to fight for me and for you and for the young maiko!"
Tsunade stays silent once more, watching her apprentice as she sobs and tries not to cry any louder. A sweet smile takes over her lips and her eyes soften. She knows Sakura is the closest thing to a daughter she will ever have.
"Do not cry, Sakura" Tsunade says softly and her callous hand reaches the young girl's hand. Sakura peeks at her through the curtain of tears that cover her eyes. "I know, alright? I know."
"I want to be useful, Tsunade-sama..." Sakura struggles to talk without chocking on her words. "I really want to stop this."
"You are the most wonderful geisha there is and Konan would be proud of you."
"I miss Konan-san so much!" Sakura wipes the tears off her cheeks and smiles sweetly at her Onee-san's name. "She always knew what to do."
"Look, Sakura, I will talk to the Uzumaki and the Uchiha brats" Tsunade sighs. "And I will let you be a part of this only if Sasuke protects you till the very end."
"What do you mean? Sasuke-san? I really do not need-" Sakura says, confused.
"You two have contract and it must be fulfilled until the end but..." Tsunade frowns. "I do believe you should talk about it with him. Sasuke might have used the excuse of being your danna to discover if we are worth it as allies for his goal."
"Do you mean Sas-?" Sakura mutters, a sudden feeling of frozen sorrow sinking her heart down to her stomach.
"Sasuke has been using you according to his plan" Tsunade says, frowning. "You need to know if he is your danna because he actually wants to be it before things get any more dangerous. You cannot let your feelings win over your brain in times of war."
Sakura ends up in her secret garden once again. Her pale skin shines like beautiful pearl under the sunlight. The talk with Tsunade has left her lost in a sudden despair. And she does not even know why. She did know that Sasuke had no other interest in her. It was her job after all and it was another piece of the puzzle for his plan.
And yet she has secretly expected more. She has always thought, in the very deep of her heart, that Sasuke felt something; that Sasuke cared in some way; that Sasuke saw her as the young woman she is. Sakura still remembers the last day she saw him, when he jumped into the okiya in the middle of the night. It is only been seventeen days since that happened and she already missed the beautiful darkness of his eyes.
Is it love what she feels towards Sasuke? Is it really 'love' what makes her wait for a hawk to deliver a letter every morning? Is it 'love' why she stays up awake every night, dreaming of a life in which she is not a geisha and he is not an Uchiha and their relationship is not ruled by a contract?
After Tsunade's revelation, Sakura has only one thing in her mind. It hurts. It truly hurts, but she is not only a geisha; she also is a kunoichi.
She lets the chakra flow to her hands and watches as the scapels take form on her fingers. It is time to swallow her feelings and be the person who will protect her family.
"Sasuke-kun... Sayonara."
"Ahhhh, Tsunade-baa-san sure is scary!" Naruto lets his body fall on the tatami floor.
"How do you know we can trust her?" Sasuke scowls at him.
"C'mon, Sasuke-teme! She hates your Uncle and she is the most powerful woman in the Fire Country. We need her."
Sasuke takes another sip of green tea and frowns. Tsunade is one of a kind. He knows nothing about her backstory but he can tell she has fighted in the war with her bare hands. She is a Senju after all, Hashirama's granddaughter.
The blonde woman sent them both a letter to meet her here, in this old and crampy ryoriten in downtown. The owner is an old, chinese man, and he speaks little japanese. Sasuke can smell the opium and he knows this place is a good black market point for illegal substances. At first he wondered why Tsunade made them come her, but now everything is clear. They have to find places where no one would find them.
And Sasuke feels so weird acting like this. He has never had to hide like a spy and he does not know if this is what he is made for. He was trained to become a powerful Uchiha shinobi so he could protect his family, but he is now acting like a traitor to his clan. Even if he needs to stop Madara's bloodlust, he can't help but feel dirty.
"I wonder what happened to her grandfather. Why is Madara alive but not Hashirama?" Naruto wonders while laying on the floor.
Sasuke stays silent for a while. He has heard this story from his brother and, as much as he trusts Itachi, Sasuke also knows that he does not always say the whole truth in order to protect him.
"Teme, I know you know it" Naruto whines after taking a long sip from his teacup. "Spit it out."
"Madara and Hashirama had a fight, long time ago" Sasuke mutters, mimicking Itachi's words. "Uncle won over the Senju leader and unlocked a new doujutsu, one that has not been seen before."
"Do you mean a new sharingan trick?" Naruto frowns, utterly interested in Sasuke's story.
"Do not call our kekkei genkai a trick, usuratonkachi" Sasuke scowls at the blond young man, who laughs at the face of the Uchiha.
"So no one knows what it is about, right?" Naruto says.
"Hn" Sasuke nods and closes his eyes for a second, remembering Itachi´s voice. "They say his sharingan... changed."
"I do not understand why a fight unlocked something so great in Madara. Ero-sennin always taught me that new powers come with training" Naruto sighs and eyes Sasuke carefully for a moment. "How do your eyes work anyway? Did you have them like that when you were born?"
"No, I unlocked the sharingan when I was seven years old, but every Uchiha has their pace."
Sasuke takes another sip of green tea and realizes he has emptied the teacup. The humid room is cold and the light does not reach the walls, since the windows are full of dust. He wonders if he will spend his life running from a place to another place until his plan is done.
"Your clan is creepy as hell, do you know it?" Naruto shivers jokingly. "You all have weird eyes and act like you are all mad every single time. I guess that is your true kekkei genkai."
Sasuke punches Naruto's face when he hears the blond laughing again but, deep into his heart, he also wonders what the Uchiha actually are. They have unique features and Sasuke does not even know where does his sharingan comes from or why did he activate it when he was seven years old.
"How can I call myself an Uchiha if I do not even know what an Uchiha is?"
"It was a joke, Sasuke. You and your brother look normal enough" Naruto smiles softly at him after noticing the young Uchiha's concern. "There is no need to act all depressed now."
"Shut up" Sasuke spats at the blond. He does not know what Naruto does to him with his words, but it feels really nice to have someone to be relaxed with, even if he will not admit it, ever.
"Hyuuga Neji came to see me last night" Naruto says, closing his eyes and still laying on the floor.
"Any news?" Sasuke suddenly feels interested.
"He discovered whoever attacked us back in our first meeting."
It downs on Sasuke like a bucket of icy water. The traitor, the one who is allied with Madara and tried to kidnapp Sakura. They have finally found it. A murderous instinct takes over Sasuke. He will take care of that son of a bitch who wanted to harm his Little Bird. No one can touch her, no one can take her from him.
"Who is it?" He growls viciously.
A market is always a good place to get lost, Sakura thinks while she checks aromatic candles and original sweets that look like fruits. She wanders mindlessly because she needs to think. What should it be, her next move? Should she really send a letter to Sasuke and let her feelings out? Should she just shut him down and act like she is supposed to act?
Tsunade understood that Sakura needed to think and let her go on a walk, only after checking that her hair was perfectly braided on a geisha's customary bun. However, she is not wearing the typical makeup she should wear. Her cheeks are lightly dusted in pink, her eyes are slightly painted with her favorite kohl pencil and her lips wear crimson red. And she secretly likes to think that Sasuke's special eye color is on her lips now.
Her steps take her away from the crowded market to a beautiful park. Sakura sits on a stone bench near a small stream. Lotus flowers swim quietly, not making a sound, just caressing the water with their soft pink petals. She looks down at her yukata, light green silk embroidered with pink lotus flowers. Maybe she should just let the stream take her away too. But then she remembers this morning, teaching her cute maiko how to do the tea ceremony and showing them her newest kimono, a gift from the Land of Water. And Tsunade's small smile. There is too much worth fighting for...
Something suddenly blocks the sun and engufls her figure in shadows. A silhouette towers over her and, as soon as she sees Kusanagi sheathed, her heart drops to her stomach. She gets up quickly, forcing herself to smile, but she cannot just look at his eyes.
"Sasuke-san" She bows her head politely.
He stays silent and she can see he is wearing his shinobi attire. Sakura thinks those clothes are the ones who fit him the better. His black hair shines beautifully under the sunlight. Sasuke stays quiet looking at her, his onyx eyes make the world stop once again. And she gets lost in them like the first time, not nervous or selfconscious anymore.
"Tsunade-san came to see us" Sasuke says and Sakura comes back to the real world.
"I... see" She says, trying to stop her voice from trembling. "I am glad that everything turned up to be alright."
"Things will get complicated from now on" Sasuke takes a sit on the stone bench, right next to Sakura, and his eyes find a point in the horizon to look at.
"I am not only a geisha."
"Hn."
Sakura feels the proximity of his body, the rough fabric of his attire, the scars that wear his hands. He might look like a prince but he is a shinobi, who proudly comes from the infamous clan Uchiha. The red and white fan embroidered on the back of his shirt reminds her once more how impossible it is, loving him.
"Sasuke-san..." She tries to start. Sakura knows he does not like the honorific but she needs to stablish some kind of distance between them. Sasuke has his eyes fixated in some kids who play in the market entrance, and she can see the melancholy and the longing. "Now that the deal with Tsunade-sama is done and now that you have our help, it is no longer needed for us to maintain this contract. I will fight next to you, so you do not need to keep going with this charade."
As soon as Sakura finishes talking, she worries about her words. Has she been to harsh? Has she offended him? She smooths the skirt of her yukata and avoids his eyes, even if she knows that Sasuke is looking at her right now.
"Is that what you really want?" His voice caresses her hair. It is soft and it shows no anger.
Sakura turns her head up to him and their eyes lock. And she realizes that she does not want to lose him. Shes does not want to lose the sight of his midnight black hair. She does not want to lose the sight of his body trained for war. She does not want to lose the sight of his cold but soft eyes. Sakura does not want to lose Sasuke, the only person who has awakened in her the feeling named 'love'.
She takes his hand in hers and traces his scars delicatedly. Sasuke's eyes are slightly widened but he does not pull away. He lets her heal his wounds with the tip of her fingers and Sakura feels his body relax. It suddenly brings tears to her eyes. She would give anything to retain the happiness of this moment forever.
"I want you, Sasuke."