Title: Rebuild
Full Summary: Somewhat AU. Following Pein's Invasion and Uchiha Sasuke's return, Haruno Sakura struggles to cope as Konoha struggles to rebuild itself. The terrifying, familiar poison of yesterday's past is back. Learning how to trust again is not an easy task - especially when her life is a spin-cycle of betrayal. Bang and beat, rinse and repeat.
Pairing: SasuSaku
Inspiration: Say - John Mayer, Nighttiming - Coconut Records, Lady (Hear Me Tonight) - Modjo, Could This Be Real (Joker Remix) - Sub Focus, Cosmic Love - Florence + The Machine, Fader - The Temper Trap, Swimming - Florence + The Machine
"I took the stars from my eyes, and then I made a map.
I knew, that somehow, I could find my way back.
Then I heard your heart beating; you were in the darkness too.
So I stayed in the darkness, with you."
~ Florence + The Machine
His eyes hurt. They throbbed, pulsing with pain as they tried to focus. Sasuke snapped them shut within moments of waking, a confused grunt emitting from his throat. They hurt regularly, but never like this. He surmised they were worsening, but he had no one to turn to. Sasuke grit his teeth, hissing in pain. What was wrong with his eyes? The transplant had gone smoothly - or had it? Zetsu had kept him pumped full with antibiotics and painkillers while he'd healed, also following up Orochimaru's grueling admission of strengthening and enhancing drugs. Sasuke was still experiencing lingering effects of withdrawal, but the cravings weren't strong and were far between. He wondered what went wrong - was it simple eyestrain, or something more? Had something gone awry during the operation that he wasn't aware of? The only thing Sasuke truly had left was his eyesight. He was nothing without his bloodline limit.
Sasuke tried unsuccessfully to open his eyes again, but the searing pain forced him to close them once more. Alarm swept through the Uchiha like a tidal wave, fear pounding fiercely in his gut. His stomach rose to his throat, and he settled back down gently on his bedroll. He kept his eyes shut, feeling around for his pack. He had a handful of painkillers left, which he'd saved for extreme situations, like in the event of a broken rib or other bone. Sasuke hastily popped two pills, grabbing a hunk of bread and tearing it in half to help his body digest the pill quicker. He struggled to stand, gripping the cave wall heavily. His sense of balance was shot. Probing the rough terrain carefully with his feet, Sasuke inched forward until he reached the roaring waterfall, rinsing his body clean. Feeling along the wall until he reached his bedroll, he gently slid into the sleeping bag, panic washing through his system. What was he supposed to do? Would he lose his vision forever? His sharingan? Life without his bloodline limit was unthinkable, impossible. To lose it would be to die. Sasuke took deep breaths to calm himself, determining to get more sleep. Perhaps in a few hours he would feel better.
Sakura warred with apprehension and the rushing excitement in her chest, emotions overwhelming her like a tidal wave. She wanted to find Sasuke, but she didn't want to see him. She wanted to bring him home, but she knew that the moment she laid eyes on him, it would be her unraveling. If they lost him again this time, she didn't know what she would do. Sasuke was an unknowing thief, and in the palm of his cruel hand laid Sakura's heart.
Sakura was by no means weak, and she was by no means controlled by Uchiha Sasuke. But the fact remained she was in love with him, and he had the ability to break her heart as many times as he pleased. Sakura couldn't decide whether she hated or loved him anymore. She had never really understood the saying about love turned the most fervent of hatred, but she did now.
Sakura forced herself to swallow her apprehension, strengthening her resolve. Now was not the time to be weak. Sakura pocketed her uncertainty and doubt for another time, straightened her back, and pushed the sliding door open. The faces of Naruto, Sai and Kakashi greeted her, all murmuring quiet hellos and good mornings. Sakura smiled in return, moving forward just as the rest of the retrieval team began to trickle through the door.
Suigetsu and Karin entered, keeping to themselves. It was all terribly awkward until Shikamaru, the brilliant strategist, pulled out some maps and began to roughly pinpoint where the Uchiha was staying.
"We'll have to methodically search each of these islands until Sasuke is found. A mere chakra-sweep will not determine his location, he is most likely more than adept at completely concealing his signature. However, while this will buy us the certainty of clearing off each island, the possibility still remains that he is on the move. He has no idea of our presence here, although that is also uncertain. Our arrival in such a large number is unusual, and it won't be long before news of our group spreads throughout the country. We'll have to work fast and efficiently. I've devised a strategy. We will split up in groups, along with inter-connected summons. In lieu of radios, which we will also have equipped for short-range recon, we will have summons that can easily traverse through the other dimension to communicate. We will have to sweep the islands in a linear fashion; we will need one group covering each and every island in a horizontal line and sweep the islands until we find him. That is the only sure-fire way of catching Sasuke," Shikamaru explained, "in addition, we will leave a chakra barrier seal that will alert us when a shinobi steps foot onto the islands we left behind. Even if Sasuke can make his chakra signature disappear completely from our senses, he won't be able to fool the seals." All the ninja in the room nodded their acceptance, finding no holes in the strategy. Shikamaru nodded, satisfied, and rolled up the maps.
"We should start working on dividing up the summons," Kakashi announced. The silver-haired ninja bit his thumb and called his pack of ninken. Eight dogs exploded into existence at his feet, and as they roamed about the room, sniffing each of the ninja individually, Shikamaru stared at them in deep thought. The strategist stared hard at the map, and then mentally divvied up the teams.
"We'll keep in groups of three - so we'll only need five ninken, Kakashi."
"Wait," Sakura interjected, who'd been staring at her sandals hard in thought for several minutes. "The seals will only pick up if a ninja has crossed, not specifically Sasuke. We will lose advantage and time if we double back every time someone with chakra crosses the borders. We should leave summons on each island we come across - they can communicate through dimensions with us as well, as discussed earlier. I can summon Katsuyu and Naruto can summon his toads if need be - this way we won't have to waste our time." Sakura looked around the room, finding everyone nodding their heads in agreement. She gave a small smile and the talk turned to supplies and communication, as well as dividing up teams. It was decided that Yamato and Sai would accompany Karin and Juugo, whilst Kakashi, Sakura and Naruto would make up another team. The rest of the teams were kept in their three-man squads.
Karin and Suigetsu stayed silent for the duration of the meeting - while they felt comfortable to voice their opinions around Naruto and Sakura, they endured scathing glances from several members of the Konoha Eleven, and the general reaction towards them was more hostile than friendly. The drop-dead gorgeous blonde, for example, gave them nothing but scorching, mocking glares and sniffed with derision each time either of them chose to speak. The dog-nin did as well, rolling his eyes each time so much as a sigh came from their lips. Not only that, they endured the judgmental glances of the milky-eyed boy, although his relative was kind.
"Good luck, you lot," Tazuna exclaimed, waving the group off on their mission. Inari lingered beside him, slightly nervous before such a formidable group of ninja. He found the courage in him to shout that he believed in them, for which he earned a 'believe it' from Naruto and smiles from the Konoha shinobi and kunoichi.
Naruto and Sakura glanced at each other as they approached the docks, shifting their packs on their shoulders. Sakura couldn't help the anxious fluttering in her stomach and they hadn't even left for the first island yet. She could tell Naruto felt the same way; he bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly and ran a hand through his hair every couple of minutes. Naruto licked his lips, squared his shoulders, and marched up to the dock master. After the exchange of a hefty amount of ryo, the group was able to commandeer a small, speedy vessel for the journey. They also paid for the time of the driver, who was set to accompany them throughout their entire journey. Naruto squinted sadly at his froggy pouch which had deflated quite a bit, patting the half empty pouch with a big sigh.
"You'll be reimbursed when we get back home," Sakura laughed, having witnessed the display. She patted the top of Naruto's head and he blushed at being caught, hurriedly stuffing the money pouch away. "I can't believe you still use that old ratty thing to hold your money... along with that nappy nightcap of yours." Naruto glared at her half-heartedly before turning to assess the boat they were to use. It boasted sun-faded blue paint and a varnished deck, and the perfect size for their group. They all boarded, enjoying the salty breeze and the beautiful, early-morning view of the ocean.
They all set their packs down for the forty minute boat ride, and migrated to different parts of the boats to admire the view. Naruto migrated over to Hinata, where they exchanged quiet words at the prow. Neji kept a watchful eye on Tenten, who was enjoying a hearty breakfast with their teammate Lee, laughing every now and then at something he said. Karin and Suigetsu stuck to each other, talking quietly amongst themselves. Sakura leaned against the railing with Sai and Kakashi, butterflies swarming in her stomach as she stared at the island on the horizon. Sai was silent beside her, the only sound he made was the rasp of his paintbrush on canvas as he painted a serene picture of the island and the sea. Kakashi's nose was stuck in his fluorescent book, to which Sakura rolled her eyes at amusedly. She pushed off from the railing and joined her best friend at the other side of the boat, giving her a greeting smile.
"You don't have to do that, you know," Sakura said lowly so that no one else could hear. Ino feigned ignorance, staring at her with wide eyes.
"What are you talking about, Sakura?" Ino bluffed, but Sakura saw straight through it. Sakura smiled in a rush of affection for her loud-mouthed friend, shaking her head.
"Karin and Suigetsu. You don't have to death-stare them into oblivion each time one of them makes a noise," Sakura laughed. Ino only shrugged.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," the blonde sniffed, turning her nose up haughtily. Sakura rolled her eyes and pushed her friend's shoulder before dropping her hand.
"Thank you, though. Thanks for being there for me, Ino," Sakura murmured sincerely. "Although, Naruto and I are trying to make peace with Suigetsu and Karin." Her nose wrinkled in suppressed unhappiness. "It's hard, but we have to at least try."
Ino scowled at the information, but sighed as she relented. "Okay, forehead."
The group disembarked the boat as the driver dropped the anchor, tying an anchoring rope to the small island dock as well. The island was small on the map but vast in comparison. Sakura thanked the gods that it was flat, though - there were no mountains to boast of, which meant the search would be short. The chances of finding Sasuke here were slim to none, and Sakura wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed. She couldn't pinpoint the feeling roiling in her gut, but she shoved it away.
"We'll set up camp near the dock so the driver can watch our supplies - and then we'll do recon around the island. It's unlikely that Sasuke is here, but we'll do a thorough sweep anyway. Kakashi, if you would summon your ninken. The rest of you, let's set up camp," Shikamaru ordered. The group followed the strategist's command, with Kakashi beginning the summoning jutsu. Sakura shrugged the pack off her back, rolling out her one-person sized camping tent. The sound of hammering in pegs filled the ocean air, disrupting the squalls of seabirds and sending small rodents scattering.
"Man," Naruto huffed, leaning back to swipe his forehead with the end of his orange sleeve. "It's real humid, 'ttebayo." The blond jinchuuriki unzipped his heavy jacket, revealing a white tanktop beneath. The rest of the group nodded their agreement; some shed their more oppressive layers of clothing to escape the humidity. They were far enough from the shore and sheltered by trees to conceal their encampment and protect from the waves and wind, but the farther they moved inland the hotter it got. Neji had slipped out of his sleeves, his open shirt falling to hang from his waist, Shikamaru sliding his flak jacket off to reveal a fishnet shirt beneath. Lee endured the heat with Hinata, the former had nowhere to escape from his jumpsuit, and Hinata was far too shy to shed her jacket. Kiba tore both his jacket and shirt off with gusto, unabashed and unashamed. Shino hovered in the shadows of the trees, refusing to take off even a stitch of clothing. Tenten had taken off her jacket, revealing a thin tanktop beneath, exposing sculpted arms and a pretty, slender neck. The rest of the group stripped off any excess clothing to deal with the heat.
Suigetsu followed the Konoha Eleven and stripped his shirt off, throwing it inside his tent. Karin gave him an incredulous stare, to which he shot her a nasty grin.
"Don't be jealous, Karin, that you can't take anything off. It's not my fault you don't wear anything under that shirt..." Suigetsu spluttered with outrage as Karin swiped at him, backpedaling with haste. The entire camp seemed to be in a good mood despite the heat, something they needed to keep during the hunt for Sasuke.
"We've stalled long enough," Sakura announced as Naruto poked and prodded the fire-pit they had set up, trying to get the logs to lie even with each other. "We should head out and do a sweep. I'll place the chakra seal on the camp. Everyone have their radios?" Shouts of assent greeted the kunoichi. "Alright. Group one and two, you head out. Follow the routes we planned. If any of you are in trouble and you're not close enough for the radio, send out Sai's rat. He painted one for each group for the journey. I was going to give you all flares, but that would only alert Sasuke to our presence." The first teams set out on the search, and Sakura busied herself with setting the seal on camp.
Sakura and Naruto exchanged hesitant glances as they set out into the dense forest, keeping their field of awareness broad and wide open to attack and to detect any minute traces of chakra, Kakashi scanning the area for any concealed tracks.
As the fire crackled and burned, Naruto and Sakura stared at each other from across the fire. The search was a bust, but both felt secretly relieved. They didn't know if they could handle Sasuke just yet, especially if he decided to fight. Naruto was sunburnt, and although the kyuubi's chakra sped up the healing process, his cheeks were as red as apples, as with the parts of his shoulders exposed by the tanktop. The rest of the group was worn out by both the journey and the hot sun, grateful for the cool darkness that fell upon them. They had all gathered to watch the sunset together earlier, which Sai secretly sketched by the dying light of the fire. On the drawing pad he had made an edit to the beautiful sunset - in between Naruto and Sakura, he had drawn in their lost friend. Sai was not an emotional man, but Naruto and Sakura were slowly but surely drawing him out of his shell. The evidence of this surfaced in various but small ways - through drawings, expressions, and almost-caring speech, Sai was learning how to feel again. He stared down at his drawing, feeling a strange sensation in his chest. It was as if his heart was being physically tugged, though he knew that to be impossible. The drawing elicited feelings in him that he had never experienced before.
When Sai showed the sketch to Sakura and asked her about the emotion he felt when he looked at the drawing, she turned to him with glistening eyes and told him, quietly, fervently, that what he felt was called hope.
Cheesy, terrible, and incredibly late, I know.
Life has sucked all the creativity and drive out of me. This chapter was such a struggle. I had something much better written originally, but it didn't save and got wiped out and I had to rewrite.