-Clearly, not mine. Now, let me wallow in self pity.-
Comeback
GaaSaku: 11
KibaSaku: 6
NejiSaku: 5
NaruSaku: 3
KakaSaku: 3
SaiSaku: 2
ShikaSaku: 2
YamaSaku: 2
Harem: 2 (naive-toots: I hear you~! xD)
SasuSaku: 1
OMG. I haven't updated this yet. I'm so sorry for the late update. Life is catching up with me (YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME ALIVE~!). There was a lot of uhh… pirates and mermaids (or my siblings, whatever floats your boat) blocking my path to the computer. And there was the infamous 'Writer's Block' having a nice stay in my head. I thought it would never leave. T^T Anyways, enjoy Chapter 6! More GaaSaku, YamaSaku and ShikaSaku. They need some love too~
Proceed! ~('.'~)
Chapter 6: Have Mercy
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If you don't have a smile, I'll give you one of mine.
~Author Unknown
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Saku-chan?
"What? I don't get any?" Kankuro whined as he spread his arms wide. Sakura laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, engulfing him in a hug. Team 7 glared at him as Kankuro smirked victoriously from Sakura's shoulder.
Sakura removed herself from Kankuro's arms and bowed respectfully at the red head Kazekage. "Gaara, it's been a while," she smiled.
Gaara nodded his face as blank as ever even though he was fuming inside that out of all three of them; he was the only one that did not get a hug.
"Oi! Gaara! Hisashiburi!" Naruto waved his arms wildly and started to run towards him.
Yamato, Kakashi, Sai and Sasuke (still waist deep in mud) nodded in respect.
"What's that?" Naruto pointed at the bouquet of red and pink roses in Gaara's hands. The Kazekage promptly started to turn a pretty shade of red, Temari started to giggle like a girl (which means serious shit was about to go down) and Kankuro nudged Gaara on the back.
Sasuke arched one of his eyebrows questioningly, Kakashi hadn't flipped a single page while reading his Icha Icha Paradise, Sai and Yamato was trying to make sense of the situation.
"For you," he murmured handing the bouquet to a confused Sakura. Her cheeks flushed pink as she shyly thanked the Kazekage. Kankuro rolled his eyes at the couples' shyness. They weren't going to progress if they continued to act like a shy married couple.
Kankuro was about to tease his brother (again), when he was suddenly aware of the cold stares the medic's team mates were giving Gaara. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and sent a look to Temari. She smiled mischievously behind her small fan as she continued to fan herself.
"Uhh, how do you know Sakura?" Yamato tried to break the awkward silence.
"She was sent to Suna to improve our Medic System. Let me tell ya, she made a hell of a difference. The system in Suna is much more effective than I thought it could ever be," Kankuro grinned as he slung an arm on Sakura's shoulders.
Kankuro continued, "It was also after Saku-chan got disowned by her parents. Lucky we were around to cheer her up."
The puppet master continued to smile clueless at the fact that Team 7 had suddenly become tense and were staring at said medic. Temari frowned and smacked the back of Kankuro's head with her fan, "You idiot."
Kankuro rubbed the back of his abused skull and was about to scream at his sister when he noticed how uncomfortable Sakura had become under the gaze of her team mates. He cursed under his breath. "Uhh, hey Saku-chan, I made some improvements to Scorpion. Wanna see?"
Sakura's viridian eyes brightened excitedly. One of the things Kankuro learnt about the pink haired medic was that she was quite easy to cheer up. She also had a great interest in his puppetry. He smiled as he unrolled one of his scrolls and released the puppet that was kept in it.
Gaara watched as his brother started to battle Sakura with his newly modified puppet that once belonged to Akasuna no Sasori. He liked watching Sakura battle. Her attacks and movements were graceful, yet if her small fist came in contact with anything, it would be pulverised. He could remember how Sakura had punched a hole in his office wall screaming at him to take a break and eat "proper" food. He had been surprised at her monstrous strength (and her poor ability in cooking). She was aggressive when she needed to be but at the same time, she was caring and kind-hearted. Haruno Sakura was an enigma. Gaara could never guess her next move.
"Sakura-chan was disowned?" Naruto asked, his legs crossed and cerulean eyes wide.
The Kazekage frowned, "Yes. She was disowned by her parents when she insisted on taking the Jounin exams a couple of years back. Her parents were against the idea and they fought. She was thrown out of her house that very moment and disowned. Sakura has not heard from her parents ever since."
Kakashi tore his gaze from the pages of his novel to stare at his female student. She flew in the air dodging an array of kunais coming at her. Her luscious pink hair flew around her. He gripped the book he was holding tighter.
Sasuke closed his eyes as if refusing to think about it. He didn't care about that annoying girl. He didn't. He opened his eyes to gaze at the pinkette. He wasn't sure anymore.
Yamato had not known Sakura for very long. He had treated Sakura as a normal colleague and friend during the time they had been assigned in the same team. Yamato had found himself a little bit too interested in the medic, since they met. It didn't take much for Sakura to catch anyone's attention since she had bubblegum pink hair. But, he had found out a great deal just from watching her. She liked to pour a lot of syrup on her anko dumplings and she always avoided spicy food. She had a habit of memorising new information and punching Naruto whenever he made a mistake. Sakura cares deeply for her team mates. She was always there whenever they needed her. Yamato fisted his hands tightly. He could feel his nails digging into his palms leaving painful crescent shaped marks. Where were they when she needed them?
Naruto looked down; his blonde hair covered his eyes. He didn't know which was worse, parents who died loving you or parents who were alive and no longer cared.
Gaara continued, "Sakura was sent to Suna to get her bearings. She was a little… distraught. The Hokage wanted to make sure that the gossip pertaining Sakura would die down as soon as she returned from the mission in Suna."
"We didn't know," Naruto said quietly.
The red head narrowed his eyes, "And you call yourselves team mates? Leaving her behind and being absent when your presence was required."
Sasuke turned to glower at Gaara. He unconsciously activated his Sharingan. The two stared at each other. Sasuke found it intimidating that Gaara was not even flinching. He narrowed his eyes was about to send him into a genjutsu when Kakashi stopped him by using his Icha Icha book as a blockade. "Sasuke," Copy ninja warned, "Sakura wouldn't approve of you hurting her friends."
The Uchiha grunted and closed his eyes.
"That was brilliant! It's amazing how much weapons you can hide in just one arm," Sakura marvelled as they returned to the spot the rest of them were resting. Sakura bent down to pick up the bouquet, "I'm going to go back home, now. The smoke should have cleared by now and I have a night shift in the hospital. Sasuke, you should know where the keys to my apartment are."
"Hn."
Sakura was about to leave when Gaara stood up, "I'll escort you home."
The pinkette smiled and accepted his company.
Kankuro whistled, "Gaara's gonna finally make his move, huh?"
Naruto's head shot up so quickly, the puppet master swore he heard the sickening sounds of bones cracking, "Move? What move? What is Gaara moving? What has this got to do with Sakura-chan?"
Temari smirked mischievously. "Oh, you know," she drawled. She watched as their eyes widened in surprise and their creative imaginations went wild. She wondered what they were imagining.
In mere seconds, Sai, Yamato, Kakashi and Naruto disappeared leaving a struggling Sasuke still trapped in the now-hardened mud. (Poor, Sasuke.)
The siblings walked away from the training grounds with Kankuro laughing and clutching his stomach. "50 bucks if Gaara kicks all their butts," he managed to say in between laughter.
Temari rolled her eyes, "You're such an idiot Kankuro. Sakura is going to be the one doing the ass-kicking."
Kankuro chuckled, "Maybe you're right. But, did you see their faces?"
"Team 7 has finally realised how important Saku-chan is in their lives."
The puppet master nodded in agreement.
Temari fanned herself while watching her younger brother, "But, I think, out of all them the one who is most clueless about his feelings, is you."
Kankuro choked on his spit as he started to sputter nonsense.
Temari laughed, "There's no point in hiding it, little brother. I've seen how you look at her."
His cheeks coloured slightly while he scratched the back of his head, "Well, yeah. Saku-chan is an amazing woman. But, I find that my relationship as a brother with Gaara is much more precious. Out of all the women I've encountered, I believe that Sakura would be the perfect one for Gaara. Above all else, I want Gaara to be happy."
She was shocked. She smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately.
She'll stop hitting him, just for the day.
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"What did you mean when you said Uchiha should know where you're keys were?" Gaara questioned suspiciously.
Sakura fingered the petals of the roses absent-mindedly as she replied, "Tsunade gave me a mission to be Sasuke's babysitter until further notice. So, he's been living at my house."
"Your house? With you? Just the two of you?" Gaara squeaked. He was certainly uncomfortable with this idea.
Sakura nodded a confused look etched on her pretty features. He scowled; he had to talk to the Hokage about this. But, the Hokage wasn't someone easy to persuade. Maybe a little sake would do the trick, he wondered.
The pinkette stepped closer to him until their arms were touching, "We're being followed."
Gaara raised his non-existent eyebrows, "By your team mates." He confirmed it was them when he heard Naruto's familiar voice screaming out 'Ow'. The blonde seriously needed to practice his stealth skills if he ever wanted to become Hokage.
"They've been back for a few days and already they're meddling with my life," Sakura grumbled, "What do they think this is? Some type of free show?"
Gaara chuckled quietly, "Well then, let's give them something interesting to watch."
Sakura stopped dead on her tracks, "Huh?" The next thing she knew, their faces were inches apart. He smirked as he lean in towards her. Her eyes widened in shock.
But, before their lips could touch, an array of kunais aimed at his head forced him to jump back from her to dodge the attack.
"GET AWAY FROM MY SAKURA-CHAN!"
Sakura's eyes twitched uncontrollably, "I DON'T BELONG TO ANYONE! SHANAROOO!"
Temari was right when she said Sakura would do most of the ass-kicking.
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Tsunade sipped her sake as she felt a chakra-infused earthquake shake her office and cause the neatly stacked papers to fall and (once again) cover the office in a mess.
Shizune came running into the office, "What was that?"
The buxom blonde looked up from the desk as if nothing happened, "Call the Idiot and the Uchiha brat to come to my office tomorrow, they need to clear up all these paperwork… again."
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Sakura sighed tiredly as she flipped through the medical charts in her hands. She mumbled the names written on the charts as she mundanely started to scribble some notes at the sides of the papers. The hospital was not as busy in the night when compared to the morning shifts. During the day, the hospital was always bombarded by clumsy Genins and civilians. Though in the night, there were some cases where small groups of ninjas return from their missions. But these cases were rare.
She had punched Naruto a couple of hundred feet away for objectifying her. The pinkette regretted not being fast enough to catch Yamato, Sai and Kakashi that managed to escape.
Sakura turned pink when she remembered how Gaara had almost kissed her. She shook her head as if trying to erase her thoughts on the Kazekage. She convinced herself that it was just a strategy to lure her team mates out from their hiding places.
She taped her chin with her pen. She couldn't help but feel as if she had forgotten something. But she couldn't remember what exactly. Her laundry? Her medical research? Her paperwork? She was pretty sure she forgot something. What was it?
"Sakura-sama. There's a patient in Room 19 that requires your assistance," one of the nurses informed as she smiled sweetly and bowed in respect.
Sakura nodded and started to make her way towards the room, surprised to see someone she had not expected.
Yamato sat on the hospital bed with his legs crossed and his head cradled in his hands. He looked up when he heard the door open. His vision was filled with a familiar shade of pink.
"Sakura?"
Said medic blinked in surprise, "Yamato-taichou? Is something wrong?"
"I… Uh… What are you doing here?"
Sakura raised one of her eyebrows and stared at him with an are-you-dumb look, "I work here."
He mentally slapped himself for his stupidity, "Right."
"Is there something wrong? What are you doing in the hospital at this time?" Sakura repeated, she tilted her head to get a better look at his face. He had dark circles under his eyes and it didn't take a Nara to figure out that he lacked sleep and rest. Sakura frowned. One of her pet peeves was that if people she cared about never looked after themselves properly.
"…There's nothing wrong."
She rolled her eyes and stood in front of him with her hands on her hips, "Come on Yamato-taichou. You know better than to keep things from me, especially if it involves your health."
Yamato was considering if he should ask for another medic to help him but immediately changed his mind when Sakura started to look at him with a worried look.
"I… Couldn't sleep. Nightmares," he finally spoke after a moment of silence.
She blinked in surprise. Sakura had heard of this from Shizune and Tsunade when they were discussing about a cure for some serious cases of insomnia. Yamato had a very mysterious past. Soon after he was born, Yamato was kidnapped by one of the Legendary Sannin: Orochimaru as a test subject for his experiments. Orochimaru left thinking that the experiment had been a failure and that every one of his test subjects had died. But, unbeknownst to him, Yamato had been the only survivor and was given the Wood Release ability. Of course, the ability came with side effects. Yamato would have trouble sleeping as his nights were sometimes plagued by nightmares. Even though he had been too young to remember anything, strange images would recur on some nights. During those occasions, Yamato would go to Konoha's hospital to search for medical help.
"I tried this technique on Gaara before. Lie down," she instructed softly as she sent chakra to her hands. Sakura placed her hands on his forehead after removing the forehead protector. She sent her chakra slowly into his body.
She removed her hand when she had successfully finished the technique and Yamato's eyes were starting to close. She smiled triumphantly and was about to leave the room to let him sleep when her arm was grabbed.
"Stay," he whispered softly before falling asleep.
Sakura turned pink when she saw her hand enveloped in Yamato's hand. She contemplated whether she should just leave or stay. She sat down on a chair next to his bed when she remembered her promise to always be there for her team mates. She had promised that she would ease their pains.
Sakura would do anything to protect them.
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Sasuke tried his best to look dignified. Of course, that was close to impossible if half of his body was sticking out from the ground.
He couldn't believe the fact that his team mates had forgotten about him and left him half-buried in the ground.
Screaming for help was out of the option. He was too proud to do that.
He assured himself that his team would notice his absence and come searching for him.
Hopefully.
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*~The Next Day~*
Yamato woke up to the sounds of birds chirping melodiously outside his window.
Okay, he lied.
It sounded more like squirrels being tortured or how Tsunade sounded like whenever she was drunk and had lost in a bet (again). Whatever it was, it was pretty loud and woke him up. He groaned as he lifted his body to a sitting position. His mind was still groggy and his vision was a little blurry.
He looked around the room recalling his short visit to the hospital. His dark eyes landed on something pink nearby.
Sakura rested her head and arms on the hospital bed while she sat on a chair. Her pink hair was in disarray and covered her face and arms. Yamato chuckled when he heard her mumbling in her sleep. He hoped that she wasn't like Shino, Kiba and Naruto when they were asleep because he wouldn't be able to survive her monstrous punches.
He noticed that his hand was still entangled in hers and he felt heat rush up his neck and cheeks.
He untangled his fingers stared at the pink haired beauty. Yamato pushed her hair aside and traced her jaw line with his index finger. He stopped at her chin and started to play with the strands of her hair. "Sakura?" He called out trying to wake her up. Truthfully, he didn't want her to wake up. Yamato liked watching her sleep.
The Wood user waited for a few seconds before her eyes fluttered open revealing beautiful viridian eyes. She lifted her head and looked at him. He smiled, "Ohayo."
Her eyes went wide and she screamed in surprise. Sakura stood up so fast the chair fell back. "What time is it? Where am I?" She started to look frantically around the room.
Before Yamato was given the chance to answer Sakura started to shout in panic, "I'm late!" She was about to reach for the door when she came back to his bed and placed a glowing green hand to his head, "Everything seems to be normal." She flashed him one of her famous grins before running out the doors.
Yamato chuckled and placed a hand to his forehead.
He noticed that he had slept much more soundly that night than he had in the entire month. Maybe he should visit the hospital more often. Of course, only when a certain medic was available.
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Sakura ran in a flurry of pink and red towards her destination.
"You're late Billboard Brow," Ino scolded, her arm linked with Chouji's.
"Sorry, Ino-Pig," Sakura tried to catch her breath.
The platinum blonde shook her head, "We'll be back before lunch!" Dragging Chouji, the couple left the flower shop in Sakura's care. Sakura combed her fingers through her haphazard hair and headed towards the toilet to freshen up.
Sakura heard the familiar bells ring signalling the appearance of a customer.
"Irashaimase!" She called out from the sink as she ran towards the front counter.
"Sakura? What are you doing here?"
"Shikamaru? I'm taking care of the shop while Chouji and Ino are out on their date," Sakura replied, surprised to see the Nara genius. He had grown taller and Sakura had to tilt her head to look up at him. Shikamaru still had the usual ponytail hairstyle and green chunin vest. He had also advanced to ANBU level though he would still rather watch clouds than do anything else.
Sakura noticed that he was panting and sweating slightly. Shikamaru grumbled under his breath as he scratched the back of his head. Troublesome Ino, he thought. A few minutes earlier his female team mate had called him about an emergency and had told him to come over to the shop as quickly as he could. Thinking that it must had been something serious, Shikamaru came running from his home. He should have expected Ino had something else planned.
Ino had a habit of meddling with his life; especially if it involved a pink haired medic. The blonde would use strange plans to try and push them together. Just a week ago she had handcuffed them together by 'accident'. Shikamaru didn't want to think where the handcuffs had come from or what his team mate had planned next. Fortunately, Ino's idea didn't go as planned. The two of them had spent the whole day together doing random chores. He had been with her the entire time watching her treat patients. She would scold whenever they didn't listen to her advice and soothe the crying ones. Surprisingly, he had never felt bored the entire day in her company. She was nice to have around.
At first he thought that he would never have feelings for the pinkette.
But, in just one day, everything turned upside down.
So, Ino's plan did actually work. Which was surprising since the last 182 plans didn't work so well. But who's counting?
"Ne, Shikamaru? Could you do me a favour?" Sakura asked; her doe like eyes looking at him pleadingly.
He groaned inwardly.
Matters of the heart are so troublesome, Shikamaru thought.
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Oh, no.
"Ne, Chickenbutt-san. What are you doing?"
Anyone but him.
"Is this some sort of special training?"
Sasuke grunted as he once again tried to wriggle his way out for the thousandth time. Shin tilted his head to the side and stared at him as if he had grown another head. His female team mate was giggling madly while the other started to come up with good reasons as to why half his body was underneath the ground.
"Did you make Sakura-sensei angry again?" Shin frowned giving him a look parents usually gave their child whenever they did something wrong.
"Hn."
"Do you need help?" the girl asked.
"…No," he muttered stubbornly,
"Okay, we'll leave you here. Who knows when your friends would ever find you! What do you think, Takeshi?" Shin replied turning around.
"According to my calculations, that would be approximately six months from now," Takeshi answered while correcting the position of his glasses.
Sasuke started to turn pale.
The three started to walk away from him.
"…Wait!"
Shin smiled cheekily, "Yes, Chickenbutt-san?"
"Help me," Sasuke's voice was barely a whisper. But, that was good enough for Shin.
"Ayaka! Takeshi!" His voice suddenly turned serious, "Get the shovels."
Kill me now, Sasuke thought miserably.
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YAY! Done~!
Please continue to vote for the Top 3 you want Sakura to end up with, as I will write 3 different endings for her (cause she's worth it~). ^_^
Tell me in a review what couple you wish to see next!
And I know some of you are wondering if the Akatsuki would be appearing. I'll save that for another new AkaSaku story. Look out for that one! xD
Review peeps~! ^0^