Hello, guys! Here's the new chapter. I hope you like it!
PS I do not own "Naruto" it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto ©
This was my first love.
She was the first to go.
And when she left me for you,
I was the last to know.
"Last to know" by Three Days Grace
A confident knock was heard on the door, and the Hokage mumbled a permission to enter the office. The blonde woman didn't even raise her gaze from the piles of paper on the desk.
"Come in, Hatake.", her voice was tired and dull compared to before, "I guess, you've come for your report."
"Yes, Hokage-sama.", the Copy nin answered and bowed politely.
"How was the mission?"
"Boring, easy. Zero complications.", Kakashi scratched his neck and let his breath out heavily.
"Good. As expected from you.", Tsunade lifted her sight and smiled at the silver-haired man, "You look tired. You should take the next week off."
"I'm fine, Hokage-sama.", the jonin replied and gave her an eye-crease.
"That's an order, Hatake…", the blonde murmured and continued signing the papers in front of her.
"Yes, Tsunade-sama.", Kakashi stood patiently and waited to be dismissed but the Hokage said nothing. The Copy nin cleared his voice, "Excuse me, but is there anything else you'd like to discuss with me?"
The caramel eyed kunoichi glanced at him smiling, "Do you know what date is today, Kakashi?"
"29th of June.", the man answered indifferently, averting his gaze from the Hokage's perceptive glare.
"Hatake…you overwork your ass and haven't taken a single day off except the times when you were held in the hospital or on today's date.", Tsunade sighed and put down the paper in her hands, staring at the man in front of her, "It's been exactly three months since she's been gone, Kakashi. How long do you intend to keep this up?"
"This is a personal matter, Hokage-sama. I'd like not to answer that question.", the politeness in his voice made a vein pop on the blonde's forehead.
"If this "personal matter" concern the well-being of one of my best shinobi, it becomes my matter as well.", she growled and her amber eye twitched in irritation.
"I'll take the rest as you ordered, Hokage-sama. I don't think it affects negatively my well-being.", the Copy nin gave her an eye-crease, "Now, if you excuse me. I'll take my leave.", he bowed and left the room.
Tsunade sighed heavily, rubbing her temples. This damn Copycat had been like that since Sakura's death – too distant, too polite, too indifferent. Since Kakashi's team lost its female member and Naruto had left for Cloud for his bijuu training with B, Team 7 was unofficially disbanded. The Copy nin took only solo S-ranked missions suitable for his rank as ANBU. When the jonin had come to ask Tsunade to appoint him back on the special unit, the Hokage had to deny his request completely. Refusing to push him even further in the shadows, the blond kunoichi only allowed him to take on some of ANBU's solo missions as a settlement by compromise between his request and her desires.
The Hokage stood up and stared through the window. The life in Konoha in June had always been hectic. Since the summer in the Fire country was longer and much hotter than the usual in more temperate climates, the people were now hurrying on the streets to avoid the deadly temperatures, hiding in the cafes, bars and even in the big supermarkets. Everybody was walking with a huge bottle of icy cold beverage in hand. At some point you could see men starting to pour the fresh water onto them at a desperate attempt to survive the heat.
The Slug princess lifted her gaze to the scorching ball high in the sky – there were three rings around the sun. The Hokage frowned. She was extremely superstitious when it came to bad omens and Tsunade remembered what her grandfather, the First, had told her about the circle rainbow around the sun: "In olden times the rainbows represented the snakes. It's been said that they are an omen of bad luck." The blonde sighed and sat in her chair.
The door of her office flung open and Shizune rushed into the room, holding a scroll, tied with a red ribbon.
"Hokage-sama!", the assistant panted, obviously she'd been running, "A letter from the Raikage came in half an hour ago.", the dark-haired kunoichi handed the scroll and waited patiently for the Hokage to read it.
"It was scheduled to meet up with "A" next week. Why would he write me a letter when we saw each other two days ago?!", Tsunade frowned and opened the scroll. Her eyes scanned the information and they narrowed before rolling it up again and tying it with the ribbon. The blonde sank in her armchair, ignoring the curious glance of her assistant.
"Do you need me for something, Hokage-sama?", Shizune asked politely.
"Naruto's coming home in three days. When he arrives, tell him to get Kakashi and meet me up in my office at 4pm."
"Yes, Hokage-sama.", Shizune bowed and walked out of the office, leaving the woman to her thoughts.
Tsunade frowned and a curse escaped her lips. "So, we've found you at last, Sasuke…"
"Crimson rings arose today around the burning sun,
I remember as you told me: "The faith becomes our dun.
The snakes would crawl in our troubled kip
and drain our sinful blood sip by sip."
Tonight as a sinner for my soul I shall pray,
so God may let your memory intact to stay,
hidden from the fiends in the dusky nightfall
so it can redeem me from my rising gall…"
Somebody placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder and the Copy nin jumped startled. He turned around with widened eye and his gaze brightened a little as he recognized his ex-student.
"What are you reading, Kakashi-sensei?", the blonde Jinchuuriki grinned and looked curiously at the book.
The silver-haired jonin closed it and returned it on the shelf, "Last night I remembered a book I saw in Sakura's apartment while she was nursing me. I never had the chance to read it…"
A slight smile appeared on the face of the younger shinobi, "And are you going to buy it?"
"Nope. It's poetry….", the silver-haired jonin imitated barfing sound and the boy in front of him chuckled, "And the only book I'm going to spend money on is the masterpiece of your genius perverted sensei…"
"He-he. You're still the same, Kakashi-sensei.", Naruto slipped an arm around his shoulders, shaking the man, "I've missed you."
The Copy nin smirked under the mask and bumped his shoulder at his former student, "I've missed you too. Now, tell me… what are you doing here? I thought you were training with B."
"I'm almost done but apparently the Raikage and baa-chan have a mission for us, so they sent me back.", Naruto frowned, "Obviously it is something important if, baa-chan agreed to resurrect Team 7 from the ashes. Or at least what's left of it…"
Kakashi knitted his brow, "Who's going to fill in for Sakura?", he meant his voice to be indifferent but it came out more like growling than talking.
"I know…I reacted the same way…", the Jinchuuriki stared at the floor, "Nobody can replace her…", Naruto sighed and lifted his chin cheerfully with hidden miserable spark in his blue eyes, "That's why nobody's filling in… We'll be just you, me and Sai."
Kakashi let out his breath, "When do we have to go and see the Hokage?"
The blonde glanced at the clock on the wall and grinned nervously, scratching his neck, "Forty minutes ago…"
"Fuck.", Kakashi stormed out of the bookstore followed by his teammate.
The green glowing disperse as Sakura released he medical jutsu. She wiped out the sweat of her forehead with the back of her hand. At the beginning she thought that two days between the sessions was more than enough but it turned out that Sasuke's sharingan was far more complicated and hard to deal with than Kakashi's. The kunoichi found it confusing. Logically, it should have been easier because those were his own eyes but it turned out that they were putting up quite a resistance to her healing methods. It seemed like a defensive mechanism. She was puzzled and fascinated by it at the same time. The amounts of chakra she spent on working on his eyes had increased dramatically during her three-month stay with him. Sakura sighed tiredly and stood up from the chair and stretched her stiff back.
"If you don't need me for anything else, I need to lie down for a bit.", she murmured lazily and headed to the door.
Sasuke rose from the bed and narrowed his eyes to reduce the flow of light piercing his brain, "You OK?", Sakura turned slightly and nodded over he shoulder with hand pressed on the handle. The Uchiha stood up and gently placed his finger on her shoulder. "You can stay here."
The kunoichi raised her eyebrow, "You need rest as well. The strain on your body is harder than mine so…"
"I don't feel like sleeping, Sakura.", he interrupted her and pulled her to his bed, "I want to talk to somebody."
The female jonin released her breath and lumped on the bed, easing her back on the mattress with feet still touching the stone floor, "I'm listening."
Sasuke lied down and supported himself on the elbow so he could look at the pinkette next to him, "You sound as if you're doing this unwillingly."
"No! How could you even consider this?", Sakura shook her head in fake disbelief, "I left my life, my friends and everything else just so I could come here and commit a treachery against my village and my shishou."
"If you wanted to see me that desperately you could have just said so…", Sasuke mocked her and grinned. As response Sakura shot him a bloody stare, "Look, Sakura… What do you expect me to say? I have my reasons to be here. You have yours as well. There is no point in worsening the situation with your sulking."
"My sulking…?", the kunoichi, lifted her body, supporting herself on the elbows as well, glaring angrily at her former teammate, "I'm not a kid, Sasuke. I'm aware of my own actions. If your good buddy, Tobi hadn't threatened to slay all of the innocent and helpless people in my village, I wouldn't even consider coming here… I know that once your eyes are healed and I'm not of any use, you're just going to kill me. And if by any chance I manage to escape or survive, I'll be forced to live the rest of my miserable life as a missing nin, because since the moment I left my apartment with that mask-wearing bastard I was no longer a Leaf nin. I became a traitor. I'm not sulking because I take all of the responsibility for my decisions. But you can't expect me to be all happy either.", Sakura's face was only few inches away from his but the kunoichi didn't even pay attention to that fact. She was furious and mad and she wanted so desperately to punch him right now that her palms were itching with anticipation.
Sasuke raised his hand and moved few fallen pink locks from her face, letting his fingers linger on her cheek a little longer than they were supposed to. Suddenly aware of their proximity Sakura's face flushed and she raised her hand to push away his. At this moment, the door snapped open and Tobi accompanied with Zetsu entered.
"Oh, sorry to interrupt but we wanted only to let you know that something came up and we need to go out for a week or so.", Zetsu frowned at the sight of the couple in the bed but said nothing, letting his leader to continue, "You'll have the place all to yourselves, lovebirds.", Tobi chuckled and waved at the other Akatsuki to follow him. Before closing the door, he laughed over his shoulder, "Don't be too loud. Keep it still, kids."
Sakura stood up from the bed and fixed her clothes, "I think it's for the best if I just went to my room.", the girl turned around with still a little flushed face.
"Why?", Sasuke whispered from the bed, looking at her back.
"Because at the end of the day…I'd still be dead.", Sakura smiled sadly over her shoulder and pressed the handle. Suddenly two strong hands wrapped her around. Her body tensed and heart fastened.
"But I don't want you dead.", Sasuke whispered in her ear.
His breath tickled the back of her neck and sent chills on her spine. The kunoichi pushed him gently away and turned around looking at his black eyes, "We're shinobi. It doesn't matter what we want. If it did matter, I wouldn't be here at the moment.", Sakura felt tears wielding up in her eyes and she hurried to leave the room.
This time Sasuke didn't stop her. He just stood there puzzled and amused at the same time. She had changed so much. She seemed like a completely different person – matured, strong-willed and reasonable. The Sakura he remembered was now only a blurry shadow from her past. Three months she worked on his sharingan and for those three months she didn't even tried escaping or attacking him. He was well aware that his guard was down during their sessions. He knew it and yet he still dropped it in front of her. The Uchiha didn't know if the sense of safety she was giving him was real or false but the moments when he could close his eyes and relax were counting on the fingers of his one hand. Those healing procedures were his only safe house where he could ease his muscles; ignore the sudden strange noises and chakra outbursts outside the room. Sakura could kill him at anytime and he wouldn't even have the time to open his eyes. Yet when he looked at those green eyes, he felt nothing but tranquility and peace.
For the time she spent at the hideout the kunoichi had lost some weight. Gradually around her eyes appeared dark shadows, her cheeks hollowed and skin paled. Her previous firm and thin body was now skinny and gaunt. Her shorts were getting looser with every week and Sasuke noticed that she started putting a belt to keep them in place. It wasn't as if she had been starving. He made sure that she got enough food, after all she needed her strength and chakra to heal his eyes. He didn't know what the reason for her condition was. Was the therapy becoming harder and more tiring? Maybe it was putting more strain on her body than he imagined. Then why didn't she say anything? She was a medic; she needed to take care of her own body first.
The Uchiha sighed and sat on the bed, easing his back on the mattress. Maybe he should give her some rest while Tobi and Zetsu were gone. Being held captive in a cave for three months and not getting out in the open must have been depressing and exhausting for her. Sasuke remembered vaguely Konoha. There were parks literally behind every corner. Threes, flowers, grass. Scorching sun and clear blue sky. Now it was the peak of the summer there. As far as he could recall that was Sakura's favourite season. He didn't know why. She never told him, he never asked.
Sasuke closed his eyes. The image of Naruto emerged in his mind. The blue eyes of his former best friend were glaring at him. Blaming him for what he had done, for what he was doing and for what he was about to do in the future. Would he finally start to hate him, and maybe even come and try to kill him? Did he become stronger than the last time? A piercing pain stabbed him through his chest. Why did it hurt to remember him? After all those years…the pain should have been gone.
Instead, since Sakura came here, the aching in his heart had started again and this time it wasn't just something he could brush away as momentary reminiscence. No. The pain was coming at him like a tidal wave. Clashing at him, bringing him down, drowning him. And when the ache faded away and the wave turned into ripple, he could take a breath for a second before another one collided with his chest, cutting the air flow to his lungs. The only lifeboats on the horizon before his tired gaze were the two pair of eyes, staring at him – emerald green and sapphire blue… And he kept looking at them, looking and looking and continued to look when eventually he could come to the surface again. Exhausted, mortified from the strength of his feelings and lonesome.
What was he even doing here? Hoping that one day Tobi would help him get revenge on Konoha? He spent his childhood craving to avenge his clan and kill his brother and now he was still walking the same shadow path, seeking redemption for the death of Itachi who he killed with his own hands. That was a cursed circle, dead-end labyrinth. Floating sands, pulling him down with every kill, every hour spent in vengeful blindness.
What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to break that chain of hatred?
He was desperately lost in his own mind.
And he was the only one who could get himself out.
Nobody else. Not even Sakura.
"I'm going to gather some firewood. You two prepare the lunch.", Kakashi ordered casually and disappeared in the forest.
Naruto lumped on the ground and sighed heavily, "I can't believe we're actually going to meet with Sasuke again after all those years…". Sai didn't answer. The raven-haired boy pulled out a nylon packet and cut it open with a kunai, pouring the contents in a metal bowl. Ignoring his teammate's indifference, the Jinchuuriki continued, "Sakura should have been with us now…"
The former Root looked up to his comrade with blank expression, "There was this book which I read few days ago, I can't remember its name now but it said something very strange which I couldn't actually comprehend…", Sai paused and hung the metal bowl on the stand Naruto had built above the fireplace, ""Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them.", or something like that...", he finished glancing secretly at Naruto.
The blonde looked at him weirdly and then smiled, bowing his head, whispering, "Yeah. That's right..." Sai smirked under his nose slightly and stood up to prepare his sleeping bag, "Thanks.", the Kyuubi host murmured.
"For what?", the ex-Root didn't look at his teammate but a smug expression was forming on his face, "I only shared a quote from a book I once read."
"What's with the atmosphere?", Kakashi emerged from behind the trees and kneeled next to the fireplace, placing the sticks under the stand with hanging metal bowl. Receiving no answer the Copy nin made a few handseals and executed the Katon jutsu. The flames wrapped the woods and they started cracking, releasing a comforting warmth. The silver-haired jonin sighed and sat on the ground, "Once we eat, I'm taking the first shift. Naruto you'll replace me at the usual time. We need our bodies rested. Most likely, tomorrow we're going to confront Sasuke. We don't know if he's going to be with another Akatsuki so stay sharp. And I repeat... We're not to engage in fight until he's alone."
The boys silently nodded and grabbed a pair of chopsticks, waiting patiently for the food to get warm.
Sakura wrapped her towel around her body and stared at the mirror hung on the wall. Well, it could have been easier to fix her wet hair if the only light wasn't the two candles placed on a shelf under it. Combing her tied locks with fingers, the kunoichi bit her lip. She was alone with Sasuke now. Should she try finally and attack him. Tobi was not here. Zetsu neither. That was a perfect opportunity. But her chakra was still not fully recovered. If she waited for another day, that meant that the discomfort, he was feeling with his eyes would be gone too.
And what would she do if she managed to kill him? Leave this place and hide until hunter nins killed her or Tobi himself found her and murder her? But if she didn't act now, when would she have another opportunity to do it? Even with migraine, Sasuke was a formidable opponent. She needed a plan. A good one. She can always try and seduce him but Sakura doubted that he'd fall for that. and if he found out about her intentions before she could execute her plan, he was going to kill her for sure.
Sakura cracked her neck and tightened the towel around her body. She was going to do it today. She'd offer him a massage to relieve his migraine and when he dropped his guard she'd cut his eye nerves. Without his eyes he'd be no match for her. Well, at least without his vision and the pain he'd surely feel in his head... she had to admit. He was strong.
Suddenly a pain pierced her chest and she had to support herself on the wall, putting her hands on the sides of the mirror. She was going to kill Sasuke. She was actually planning his death cold-heartedly . Sakura didn't want him to die, even after all he did to her. She still didn't want this, yet alone to kill him with her own hands. The kunoichi lifted her head and stared at her reflection in the mirror. The flickering yellowish lights on her face, made her look even more skinny and hollowed. Her eyes weren't glistening anymore. They were simply dull plain green. That was the look of a reprobate.
How was she supposed to kill Sasuke when her heart ached every time she saw him? Ached with the memories of her long lost love for him, hurt with the times they had spent together as a team. Even after all that he'd done to her, she still cared for him, loved him. Maybe not like before. probably now her affection to him was purely platonic, looking at him only as a friend. She didn't know. She had thought that she'd never see him again to find out. But there she was. Standing in front of a steamy mirror, naked with him only meters away, standing before the closed bathroom door, plotting his death, trying to get her revenge. For what? Did he actually hurt her that bad that she needed to dirty her hands with his blood? Did she really need to rip his existence from her heart with her own hands?
Wasn't Akatsuki her real purpose?
"But now he is Akatsuki as well...", the thought echoed in her mind. He was no better than them. The people trying to kill her best friend. To attack him, capture him half-dead, extract the Kyuubi from his body, making him to go thought a process of almost unbearable pain and then when he finally was done for, to die. If he could join them, why couldn't she kill him? Kill or be killed. That was the law of the ninja world. Cruel, primal law but right.
Sakura slapped her cheeks with hands, trying to chase the thoughts that were breaking her resolve. The girl looked confidently in the mirror. "I'm gonna do this.", she whispered to herself and headed to the door.
When Sakura emerged from the bathroom, Sasuke stood up from the floor and thumped his trousers, brushing off the dust, "You done?", the young shinobi tried to ignore the fact that the girl in front of him was wearing only a towel and he averted his eyes, fixing them on her face.
"Yeah.", the kunoichi smiled slightly, "How's your migraine?", she asked as he accompanied her to the room.
"Surprisingly, this time I had none.", Sasuke raised his brow at her, smirking, "You're actually doing a great job on my eyes. My headaches were are rare occurrences now."
"I'm glad to be of help.", Sakura returned the smirk, stopping before the door of her room, "I was wondering while I was in the bathroom... If you want I could give you a massage to relieve the tension on your eyes that you're probably feeling right now?", she tucked in the hem of the towel under her armpit and glanced at the dark-haired shinobi in front of her.
"That'd be nice but I had something else in mind.", Sasuke opened the door for her and watched her entering the room, "Pack some clothes and I'll pick you up in fifteen minutes."
Sakura raised her brows puzzled glancing at him over her shoulder as he was preparing her clean underwear and outfit, "Why?"
"I want to show you something.", the Uchiha grabbed the handle of the door, "Fifteen minutes, Sakura."
"But...I'm not allowed to go anywhere..."
"Shut up and do as I say...please.", Sasuke grinned and closed the door behind him.
Sakura stared at the wooden door confused. She had a bad feeling about this...
Kakashi stopped on a branch and raised his hand in sign for others to stop, "Hold. We're close to their hideout. Concealing our chakra is top priority. Naruto...", Kakashi glanced warningly at his former student, "No rushing." The Jinchuuriki growled but nodded, "Ok. We'll find a suitable spot to hide and observe."
The Copy nin frowned. Something clenched his heart. He had a bad feeling about this...
"What's the meaning of this?", Sakura whispered, looking around her with narrowed eyes. The sun rays were piercing her eyeballs and she placed a hand on her forehead, casting small shadow on the rest of her face. The kunoichi turned around to Sasuke who was dropping his luggage on the green grass.
"Don't get me wrong...", the Uchiha gazed at her, "I just thought that you might need a little change of your environment."
Sakura looked around her. The trees surrounding the open plain were rustling from the gentle wind. Wind... Ah how much she missed it! And the sun... Ah, that hot, burning, scorching sun...Being closed in a dungeon for three months wasn't exactly comfortable, nor pleasant. She took a deep breath. The smell of the forest and the grass filled her nostrils. She noticed a small river making passage through the trees, cutting the plain in two halves. The kunoichi glanced at Sasuke who was observing her curiously.
"Why are you doing this?", she smiled at him.
"Let's say that I'm just bribing you for giving me that massage you spoke of earlier.", Sasuke smirked and kneeled to pulled out a blanket.
Sakura bit her lower lip. Her resolve was cracking. Did he do it really just because of her?, "I would have done it either way... There was no need."
"There was no need for you to do it as well but you proposed.", the dark-haired shinobi smiled at her, "Moreover, I took you out so you may want to consider extending the facial to a full scaled massage. My neck and back are kind of sore."
The kunoichi knitted her brows at his bright face. How long has it been since she'd seen him make that expression? Six years? No. Never. His peaceful and calm face was completely unfamiliar to her and she let herself to examine it. He looked younger than usual. Unaffected by the things that had happened to him and the pain he had caused himself. Almost like the twelve-year boy she met for the first time. But now, there was a small smile on his face and that little curve of his lips made him completely different. He seemed so innocent and normal. She couldn't execute her plan. She couldn't force herself to betray him today.
No. Not today. Maybe for one day she could pretend that she wasn't a traitor, that she hadn't left behind her life in Konoha, that everything was like before. She could live her unfulfilled dream with Sasuke. One day.
"You see...Usually in hospital, people pay for a massage like that but since you're my former teammate, I'll propose a deal... ", Sakura smirked and placed her luggage on the ground next to his.
"I'm listening...", Sasuke stood up and looked at her, his face only inches away from hers.
"Treat me like a lady for a day and I'll give you a massage...", the kunoichi raised her brow challengingly.
"If you wanted me to get you out on a date you could have told me sooner.", the Uchiha drew closer, "Not get at me with a massage." Sakura's face flushed and she pushed him away startled as he cut the distance between them even more. Sasuke chuckled and made a reverence before her offering his hand, "Shall we?"
The kunoichi released her breath and reached to grab his. Her heart jumped when she felt his grip. She had always wanted to do this. They walked to the shore and the Uchiha unpacked their bags, spreading the blanket on the grass.
Sakura kneeled next to the river and dipped her hand in the water. It was colder than she expected but not cold enough to stop her from swimming in it. Suddenly a push on her back made her lose her balance and she plunged into the river with an yelp. Quickly she came to the surface coughing, putting away some locks that covered her eyes. A little disoriented she looked around for the perpetrator. Sasuke was sitting on the blanket with devilish face and raised eyebrow.
"Is this how you treat a lady?", Sakura growled and headed to the shore slowly because all of her soaking clothes were getting extremely heavy.
"Well, I had to assess the benefits of receiving a massage and compare them with the fun I'll get if I pushed you in the water and I guess you already figured out the results...", the Uchiha eyes her slyly and chuckled at her furious glare.
The kunoichi growled, "You are messing with the wrong person...", she rushed out of the water aiming a punch at Sasuke who jumped from the blanket just in time to avoid it. Another punch flew at his direction and this time the Uchiha tried to grabbed Sakura's fist with his hand. A dull crack was heard and Sasuke fell on the ground with widened eyes, staring at the girl shocked, holding his wrist.
Sakura immediately realized that she had used chakra in her attack. The medic rushed to the shinobi and kneeled next to him, "I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to. It's just a habit. I'm sorry...", she gently touched his wrist and a hissing sound escaped his lips, "It's broken. I'll heal it right away. I'm sorry."
Sasuke put his hand on her fingers that were starting to glow green, "Don't waste your chakra on this. Just bandage it and we'll take care of it when we get back."
"I have to take care of it now, or it will swallow by the time we get back.", Sakura removed his hand and started healing the broken bones.
"I got you out of here so you could relax and rest. Not to worsen your chakra condition.", the man said angrily.
"Healing a broken bone isn't as much exhausting as working on eyes. So shut up and let me do my job as a medic.", Sakura lisped at him and nailed him with angry glare. When she was ready and the chakra dispersed, the kunoichi looked at the shinobi next to her. He was observing her puzzled, "What?", she asked averting her gaze.
"Why are you behaving that way?", Sasuke moved his wrist and then gripped lightly her chin forcing her to look at him, "Like I'm not your enemy."
"Why are you behaving as if I'm not just your tool for getting your sight back?", she asked with blank expression.
Sasuke averted his eyes from hers and stood up, fixing his clothes, "You should change your clothes if you don't want to catch a cold."
Sakura shook her head and pulled up the hem of her red top and took it off. She fixed the soaked white camisole that she wore under the blouse, "They'll just dry up on me. It's hot enough not to catch a cold.", the kunoichi pulled down her shorts and spread them next to her red top on the grass. Sakura lied on the blanket, moving her hair to one side so that it won't hide her neck from the sun.
Sasuke watched her stunned. Why didn't she even felt a little bit embarrassed from taking her clothes so casually in front of him? Her wet camisole was almost transparent and if she decided to lie on her back he could bet his life that everything that was under it would be pretty much visible to the eye. And those white lacy cheekies she was wearing were just too...tempting. Sasuke swallowed the saliva that was gathered in his mouth and turned around. He shouldn't be staring at her.
"Are you going to just stand there?", her voice startled him and he turned around to see her turning to one side, supporting herself on her elbow. The movement twisted her camisole around her body and the wet material stack to her as a second skin. Her nipples, hardened from the cold water were sticking out unhidden from the upper garment.
Sasuke rushed to the river and kneeled down, splashing handfuls of water to his face in attempt to cool himself down as well as his thoughts. A hard push to his back made him fall into the water with curse on his tongue. When he finally swam back to the shore and stood up with water trickles dripping from him he glared at the kunoichi, giggling on the blanket.
"You did this on purpose...", the Uchiha growled.
"It's your fault for falling into this so easily...", Sakura grabbed the hem of her camisole and lifted it un an inch revealing her smooth skin, mocking him.
Sasuke frowned, "It's not funny."
"Actually it is.", the kunoichi grinned lifting her still transparent garment another inch up, "Too bad you can't use the same trick on me."
A smirk formed on the dark-haired boy's face, "Is this a challenge?"
"Oh, come on… you don't stand a chance against me…", Sakura's lips curved in a smug expression.
Sasuke tilted his head to one side and took off his wet blouse, walking slowly to the blanket, "Why are you pulling back…?", he smirked as Sakura dropped her camisole and moved back a bit. The shinobi kneeled down, placing his hands on the sides of Sakura's body, "Oh, my…you're blushing…"
The kunoichi turned her face and placed one hand on his chest. At the touch of her hand on his naked skin she jumped startled and tried to escape from his proximity but Sasuke straddled her legs and pushed her down on the blanket. Sakura's face reddened and she felt her heartbeat fastening.
"Ok, I get it.", she said with hoarse voice, "You can stand up now."
Sasuke opened his mouth to reply but a tale telling rustling in the forest near them made him stop. His body tensed and he jumped on his feet, glaring startled at the trees.
A shadow crept out to the sun.
The Uchiha's eyes widened in shock, quickly glancing at Sakura. The kunoichi was standing next to him, with popped out eyes and pupils moving chaotically. Her body trembled convulsively and a tear rolled down on her cheek…
Kakashi bent down to pick up the wood that slipped through his fingers. Maybe it was time to go back to the camp and tell the boys that he had found the entrance to their hideout. The Copy nin sighed and made a step back when a sudden glimmer of chakra tickled his senses. It was weak and he couldn't distinguish it clearly but it definitely belonged to a shinobi. The silver-haired jonin carefully walked half-kneeling in direction to the signature with woods in his arms. He noticed the trees ended short way ahead, revealing a small plain. The man almost crawled, suppressing his chakra and hid behind the trunk of one of the trees.
Kakashi peeked and his eye widened in shock. The sticks in his arms fell on the ground and without even thinking of it he stepped out of the shadow of the tree.
"Sakura?", his voice trembled and in the end hitched as he felt his heart stopping for a second. The pink-haired girl shivered and he saw a tear rolling down on her cheek, "It's really you…", the pain in his voice made it squeaky and high-pitched and the man choked on the feelings that were clashing in his chest.
"Kaka..shi…", she whispered and covered her mouth with hand. Sasuke tensed next to her and as his former sensei made a step forward the Uchiha reached his hand protectively in front of her. The Copy nin froze in his steps averting his gaze from the kunoichi to her companion and then returning his look on her.
"I thought you were dead…", Kakashi choked with popped eye.
Sakura slowly moved Sasuke's arm away and looked at him crying, "I can handle this…"
"Sakura…", the Uchiha whispered but his words were interrupted by Kakashi's yell.
"I thought you were FUCKING DEAD!", the Copy nin shook his head in defiance, "I was there when you died, your apartment exploded right in front of me…the glasses shattered next to me…we found the parts of your body…I was at your funeral…I mourned over you…I cried for you…", with every word his tone became even more stinging, even more bitter, even more cutting.
"Kakashi…", Sakura reached her hand in front at the man and made a step forward.
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY MY NAME!", the Copy nin shivered and his body jerked convulsively, "While everybody in Konoha lament for you, you…you wind off your naked ass in front of the guy who tried to kill you…the same bastard who joined the men trying to kill your best friend… ", his voice was hissing and it was becoming even lower with every passed second.
Sakura shrieked and dropped her arm, "Kakashi, I…"
"I TOLD YOU NOT OT SAY MY NAME AGAIN!", the Copy nin stormed at her with already drawn kunai aiming for her throat.
The kunoichi jumped back avoiding the attack when she noticed Sasuke taking his battle stance, "STAY OUT OF THIS!", she yelled and pushed him back just in time when a couple of shuriken stabbed the ground where he was standing.
The Uchiha widened his eyes and jumped back, observing the fight between his former captain and teammate. Kakashi was aiming to kill her for real and Sakura was keeping up with his pace. He attacked, she evaded. Never trying to return his attacks.
The Copy nin made a few handseals and threw a shuriken at the kunoichi and with another seal the weapon multiplied and soon a rain of ninja stars poured above Sakura. The girl knew that she couldn't possibly avoid all of them without hurting him. She jumped to the side rolling on the ground, feeling the piercing pain that stabbed her calf. But she had no time for groaning because another wave of shuriken were aimed at her direction. Sakura managed to avoid them, landing a little roughly on the ground.
"Listen to me…", she tried to say between his attacks but the man wasn't listening her. He casted a fire jutsu and a huge fire ball rolled at her direction. The kunoichi cursed and clenched her fist punching the ground before her feet. The earth cracked and few large blocks of rock rose before her, stopping the jutsu. She knew her sensei and his fighting style. He was probably now hidden somewhere for a surprise attack. Just to make sure Sakura jumped on the blocks and looked around her. He was nowhere to be seen so she jumped down, baiting him to come out. As soon as her foot touched the dirt, the Copy nin emerged from the earth and grabbed her roughly, incapacitating her movements. Suddenly in a poof of smoke she disappeared and Kakashi cursed.
He felt a knee hitting his spine, pressing a nerve. He lost the feeling of his legs and crumbled on the ground, trying to crawl away with his hands but a small gentle arm grabbed him and turned him around so he could lie on his back. He instinctively swung his kunai and heard a sharp hissing sound escaping Sakura's lips. The kunoichi removed the hair from her face and stared at the man below her, straddling his hips. She pinned his hands on the ground, driving out his kunai from his grip.
Kakashi's eye widened as he saw the deep cut his kunai left on her face, just below her left eye, cutting horizontally her cheek . Blood trickles were pouring down from it. The man clenched his teeth, "Kill me, what are you waiting for?", he growled from under his mask.
"Why would I want to kill you, Kakashi?", Sakura let his arms free and dropped hers to her sides.
"I told you to never speak…."
"…your name. I know.", she smiled sadly, "But guess what? I don't care.", at her words his body tensed, "I like the way it sounds and I'll repeat it as many times as I want to."
"Don't speak to me so casually, bitch!", he growled between his teeth.
Sakura slapped him through his face, leaving a burning trail on his cheek. He saw the tears that welled up in her green eyes but Kakashi said nothing.
"The same bitch you called a friend three months ago!", she yelled at him, "The same fucking bitch that gave you something that noone else had or will have .", her words were barely comprehensible, "The same fucking bitch loved you…"
The kunoichi turned her head around as the teardrops rolled on her cheeks. She took a deep breath and finally gathered the courage to look him in the eye. Her hands reached and pulled down his mask. Her body bent down and she pressed her lips on his quickly pulling back. She sniffed and stood up. Fixing her clothes. The man lying on the ground was staring at her shocked, confused and hurt. She kneeled turned him around and gently pressed two fingers on the same spot where her knee had hit. Sakura stood up and sobbing walked away from Kakashi.
"Sakura-chan?"
The voice made her stop in her tracks, she turned around and saw her other two teammates, looking at her as if she was ghost. She felt Sasuke's hand on her shoulder.
"Sasuke?", the voice of the Jinchuuriki was weak and trembling.
"Naruto…I…", Sakura made a painful expression and covered her face with hands.
The Kyuubi host made an attempt to walk to her but Kakashi had already stood up, standing in his way, "We need to report this to the Hokage immediately."
"But this is Sakura-chan…", the blonde shouted trying to rush after his female teammate.
Sakura turned her head around and ran through the forest with Sasuke following her. She couldn't stay here any longer.
The Jinchuuriki watched as his friend disappeared in the distance. He broke free from Kakashi's grip and stormed after her. Suddenly few ink snakes wrapped around his body, preventing him from going further.
He yelled desperately, "Sai! What are you doing? That's Sakura-chan! We need to save her!"
Kakashi slumped heavily on the ground and pressed his fingers to his mouth, "Sakura…"
In case you are wondering... that part from the book which Kakashi read in the bookstore is completely fictional and came straight out of my head. So I'm sorry if it's little lame and bad...
TBC