Woo, next chapter :) My teacher has gotten me to start learning the Minute Waltz by Chopin on flute :) It's really fun to play :D Uh, yeah, I can't think of anything to say, so read and hopefully don't hate me :S
Sakura had fallen asleep on the couch by the time Sasuke walked through the door. Sasuke walked in a beeline straight towards her. Dried tears were still on her cheeks and her bottom lip still quivered, even in her sleep. Sasuke couldn't stop the overwhelming sense of guilt and self loathing that washed over him. Even if he had wanted to, he wouldn't. Barely a week ago he had told her that he always wanted to see her smile, and that he wanted to be the reason for her smile. It had only taken him one single week to be the reason for her tears and heartbreak.
He raised a careful hand and stroked her cheek, kissing away the dry rivulets. He climbed up onto the couch and somehow managed to squeeze himself behind her, holding her petite form to him. There's no way she would ever allow him to do this while she was awake, so he took the only chance he could to pretend that, for the moment at least, she loved him again.
He fell asleep with his face buried in her hair.
When Sakura woke in the morning, it was with confusion. She was far warmer than she normally was on the couch. Also, there was much less room than usual. And there seemed to be something heavy draped around her waist. She turned around and came face to face with a sleeping Sasuke.
"ARGH!" She screamed, pushing herself away from him. His eyes flew open and they both tumbled off the couch in shock, Sasuke landing ungracefully on top of Sakura. She stared up at his face and saw that his eyes looked sad.
"Sakura, I…" He began.
"Get off me you prick!" She shoved him off her and ran towards the bathroom, locking the door behind her.
"Please, Sakura, just hear me out!" He called, running to the door. He could easily break it down, but didn't want to; it could make her hate him even more than she already did, if that was even possible.
"No! Go away! I'm sick of giving you chances and regretting them!" She screamed back at him. She didn't want to hear him or see him ever again. What the hell was that stunt he had pulled on her just now?
"Sakura, please. Just give me a chance to explain." He begged her.
"I don't want to hear your excuses! Get away from me!" She ordered him.
"Sakura, please…"
"NO!" She screamed with finality.
Sasuke felt an incredible anger rise up within him. Hadn't he told her he was sorry? Hadn't he rejected Karin again and again right infront of her? Surely he had proved, at the least by his actions alone, that his heart belonged to her? He smashed his fist on the door.
"Damnit, Sakura! How can I prove to you that I regret what I did with Karin? What the fuck do you want me to do to prove that you are the only one I want! What do you want me to say that will convince you that I'm sorry? How about this? I'm sorry! There, I said it; I'm sorry! Are you happy? You are probably the only person I've ever apologised to, and I will keep saying it until you forgive me! I'm sorry! Gomen! What do you want from me? I'll kill her if you want me to! I'll kill myself if that will convince you! Either way, I'm dying on the inside because you hate me! I might as well speed up the process!" He slammed his fist on the door again in frustration and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Just please… Open the door Sakura."
He could hear her deep breaths on the other side of the door. "Sakura, please open the door," he said softly, losing hope with every word.
He stood there for about ten minutes before, with a sigh, he turned and slowly started to walk away. The door opened.
"How can I trust you?" She whispered, fear in her voice. Sasuke turned and saw her peeking from a crack between the door and the frame.
"I don't know." He replied, just as softly. "Please, just give me a chance. I screwed up. Kami, I know I did more than just 'screw up.' I fucked everything up completely, and I regret it more than you could possibly imagine. Please, just give me a chance. I'll do anything." He stayed where he was. He didn't know if approaching her would send her back into the bathroom.
"Would you have ever told me about it?" She asked him.
Sasuke didn't know how to answer. Would have told her? Maybe. "I don't know. If it came up and I knew that you wouldn't hate me for it, then I guess so."
Sakura seemed to process that for a moment. "Why did you do it? Why did you have sex with her, then come back and seduce me?"
Sasuke hesitated again. Why had he slept with Karin? "I don't know exactly why I did it. It was sort of just spur of the moment. I think I was afraid of how I was feeling for you. Trying to prove to myself that you really did mean nothing to me. By sleeping with Karin I was saying 'I don't care for Sakura, because I can sleep with another'. But the whole time I was just wishing it was you there and not her. I kept seeing you there, instead of her. That's why I made love to you when I came back. I had an epiphany. I'm just sorry that it took having to have sex with Karin to realise it." He explained.
Sakura thought for a while longer. "How do I know that you do care for me and I'm not just someone to keep around for a fuck, or to carry your next heir?" It seemed that all of her previous questions had accumulated to this one. This was the one most important question.
Sasuke slowly walked towards her. When he stood before her he opened the bathroom door, so as to see her completely.
"Sakura, listen to me. If you never believe anything I say ever again, then please, I'm begging you to believe me now. I care for you more than anyone or anything. You are not 'just a fuck' to me. You are everything to me. I'm terrified of losing you. You are the only one I want. The only one I care about. I want to spend every day for the rest of my life with you. I… I think I'm falling for you, Sakura." He raised a tentative hand and brushed some of the bangs away from her eyes. "Please forgive me. I regret what I did more than anything I've ever done. More than I regret killing Itachi, even. Please give me a chance. Let me make it up to you."
Sakura closed her eyes and flinched slightly at his touch. "I can't forgive you Sasuke. I don't know if I ever will be able to. But I can give you a chance. Please don't hurt me again." She looked up at him and he nodded. He wouldn't let her regret it. He leant his head down to give her a small kiss, but she moved her head aside at the last moment. His lips brushed her cheek instead.
"I can't forgive you yet. It still hurts, Sasuke. You have to prove to me that I can trust you. Right now, I can't." She mumbled sadly.
Sasuke held his face against her cheek, eyes closed. "Can I hold you?" He asked. She nodded. So he wrapped her protectively in the embrace of his arms.
They stayed like that for a long time.
xXx
Karin walked to the metal door at the end of the hall. She had changed from her skimpy clothing and was now dressed in her usual attire. She opened the door casually, walking straight in.
"Kabuto!" She barked to the air.
No answer.
"Kabuto, I know you're in here. I need to talk to you." She put one hand on her hip and waited impatiently for him to appear.
There was a disturbance in the shadows. "What do you want?" Kabuto demanded of the female, annoyed by her presence.
"I require your… Assistance… dealing with a certain pest." She hedged, not wanting to release too many details.
"Why should I help you?" He shot at her.
"Because, Ka – Bu – To, I can make it very worth your while," she said seductively whilst slinking up to him, running a bright red manicured nail down his chest. Kabuto visibly gulped. He couldn't deny that, although he wasn't attracted to her, she knew how to turn him on.
"What do you have in mind?" He asked her, feeling the blood rushing to his loins.
"Sasuke's serving girl. I want her gone." She muttered to him, running her hands down his pants and stroking him. Kabuto could hardly think anymore. He was like putty in her hands. Karin smiled. She knew he couldn't resist. She could feel that he couldn't resist.
"What did you have in mind?" He gulped.
"Death…" She breathed next to his ear. "Something slow and painful…" She started stroking him faster, pumping him.
Kabuto's mind was foggy with lust. "H… Hai… I have… Exactly the… Right thing…" He started to pant, moaning.
"Good." Karin removed her hands before he could come. "When she is dead, we'll finish. For now, show me." She smiled at him seductively, looking at his flushed and annoyed face. He just nodded and led her to a cupboard.
He rummaged around for a bit before extracting a small vial. "This is a concentrated concoction of Azalea plant extract. Normally, the Azalea plant will only kill you if you have a large amount of it, but this has been prepared especially so that only a few drops will kill you."
"Is it a slow, painful death?" Karin asked, raising finely plucked brow.
"Hai. With this, it will take a few days to kill. It first causes lethargy and depression, followed by vomiting and nausea, severe pains, progressive paralysis, coma and, eventually, death. And I do not have the cure available. Even if she were to figure out she had been poisoned, and by what, she wouldn't be able to get a cure in time to save herself." Kabuto said, knowing that it had impressed her.
Karin smiled, pleased. "How much do I give her?" She asked.
"Depends on how quickly you want her to die." Kabuto said. "I'd suggest at the minimum three drops. Any less than that and her body may flush out the poison before it can kill her. Preferably four or five drops. That will kill her in two to three days. The more you put in, the quicker it will kill her." He informed her and Karin nodded, swiping the bottle from his hands. She walked from the room without any form of gratitude escaping her.
Now she just had to figure a way to get it to the bitch. Not through the water, that could kill Sasuke. She had to find a food that Sakura would eat often and there's no way in hell Sasuke would touch. Time for a bit of research.
xXx
Hmm... Quite ready to kill my computer. It won't let me do that bar thingy or put things in the centre or... nyah (that's my annoyed sound :P)
The Azalea plant thing is true. Only consuming large amounts will kill a person and it does produce those sort of effects. However, I have no idea what order they are in. The moral of the story? Don't eat the Azalea plant! I don't care if it has a pretty name, or if it's colourful! Consuming it kills! And being dead is really troublesome, you know?
But yeah, a bit annoyed at my mum too. I didn't think I'd be able to upload this, because my mum, being the genius she is, somehow managed to change all of the internet settings, effectively ruining our connection and making the computer go ape shit! I spent forty five minutes on here last night trying to make it work! Mum went on this morning and finally made it work again, but I just want to know what she actually did!
*End rant*. Hey, I did find things to talk about! Preview :)
Chapter 14 - Sweetest Poison
...Even if she hadn't wanted to be close to him, she didn't think she had a choice anymore.
She was late. By over a week and a half...
...She looked in the fridge and almost whooped with delight. Off to the side, there was a small chocolate muffin. Karin brought it closer towards her and let four drops of Azalea Extract seep into the muffin...