The early morning summons from Tsunade wasn't unexpected—Konoha was extremely busy as of late, so quick turnarounds on missions had become the norm. Sakura was, however, a little disappointed that she had to forego testing her new poison until she returned. But, she thought as she strode briskly through Hokage Tower, after last night's heartache, she'd welcome any reason to get out of the village—any reason to get far away from Sasuke.
"Good morning, Senpai," she chirped with a wave. "How's your back today? Baby being good to you?"
Shizune's head snapped up from her paperwork so fast, Sakura was afraid she'd given herself whiplash.
"Oh! Sakura! Um, g-good morning to you, too!"
"Shizune? Are you o—"
"Go ahead, go right in," Shizune interrupted. "Tsunade's waiting for you." She gathered up a sloppy pile of scrolls, bracing them against her bulging belly as she waddled away. "I-I have to take care of something…something, um, down the hall." She threw a panicky look over her shoulder before she started walking faster.
Sakura watched Shizune race down the corridor with a confused frown.
What has her so jumpy?
With a shrug, she strode into the Hokage's office and stood at attention beside the shinobi she assumed would be her teammate for this mission.
Sakura bowed in greeting as Tsunade glanced up at her. The Hokage's eyes flicked to the ninja standing next to Sakura, then back to her apprentice with a smirk and a lifted eyebrow.
Now even more confused at all this weird behavior, Sakura turned to face her new teammate—she'd get a better idea of what kind of mission she was going on by seeing who Tsunade had paired her with.
With a friendly smile, Sakura turned to her right. Shock was a very pale word to explain the thunderbolt of fear that passed through her body.
Her mission was with Sasuke.
Sasuke shifted as he waited for the other members of his team to assemble in the Hokage's office. He was surprised to be summoned for another mission so quickly, but, he reasoned, it was probably for the best. Naruto would be pestering him soon about training with Team Seven and, after last night, Sasuke was very sure he wasn't ready to face Sakura.
Hearing a feminine voice outside Tsunade's office, Sasuke hoped the owner of that voice would pass by and not open the door. He hated missions with female shinobi. It's not that he had anything against women becoming ninja—he'd seen and battled some incredibly skilled kunoichi in his life. It just seemed to be his luck to be paired with kunoichi who flirted and giggled their way through missions. After traveling for so long with Taka, he'd had more than enough of women like Karin.
His only thought when selecting Karin was how he could use her unique chakra-sensing ability. She would be able to track Itachi's chakra signature better than a ninja hound.
He hadn't considered the irritation her unwanted crush would cause.
Sasuke shuddered when he recalled her vise-like grip on his arm. He'd never given her the slightest indication that he even saw her as female, let alone that he had any more than a professional interest in her. No matter how many times he declined her offers, she would never relent.
Sasuke sighed heavily when he heard the click of the opening door. Apparently, traveling with just men was too much to hope for. Keeping his eyes trained on the Hokage, lest he give the approaching woman a very wrong impression, he listened to the clack of heeled shoes coming closer. His newly-acquired teammate bowed to Tsunade and, out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw a flash of pink. Panic surged through him, every nerve electrically charged.
His mission was with Sakura.
He watched, frozen, as she turned toward him. His eyes were drawn to hers like a magnet—a trickle of warmth ran through him when he saw a friendly glint there. A second later, the beginnings of a smile fell from her face. When Sakura's eyes widened with horror as his presence registered, he felt the all too familiar self-loathing choking him.
Before he could curb it, anger burned in his veins and his brows knit—he had brought this on himself. He was the one to blame for Sakura's dread. His fists were clenching and unclenching and his stomach bubbled with overwhelming guilt. His reactions uncontrollable, Sasuke was forced to look away. Would he ever see any expression in Sakura's eyes other than fear?
Sakura trembled as she watched Sasuke's expression change from surprise to fury. She knew she deserved his anger—she had betrayed his trust as a teammate and as a friend. Had she really thought that ending his life was the only answer?
Watching his fists close tightly, she hung her head. How would she ever complete a mission with him? Shame crushed her as bile burned her throat. Did she really have so little faith in him as a person to think that he couldn't be redeemed? Sadly, she thought that Naruto's faith in Sasuke hadn't wavered. It's no wonder the two of them were able to repair their bond and become friends again.
Thinking of Naruto was like finding a ray of light—this mission would be so much easier on both of them if Naruto was the third member of their cell! Realizing Tsunade had already begun to detail their mission while she'd been preoccupied, Sakura hesitantly cleared her throat.
"Sakura?" Tsunade questioned, lifting her eyes from the mission scroll.
"Um, I was wondering, Hokage-sama, if we shouldn't wait for Naruto before you start briefing us."
"Naruto won't be joining you on this mission."
Sakura felt disappointment drop her stomach to her toes. She'd hoped Naruto's loud mouth and cheerful nature would act as a sort of buffer between her and Sasuke. At the very least, he'd be a sympathetic ear. She was startled when Tsunade gruffly barked out Shizune's name.
"Has she arrived yet?" she asked, incensed.
"Coming down the hall now, Hokage-sama. I'll send her right in."
Tsunade turned back to Sasuke and continued, "If you're going to have any chance of finding him, you'll need—"
"SASUKE-KUUUUN!"
The unexpected screeching had Sakura in a defensive posture before a blaze of red knocked her to the side. Steadying herself on the Hokage's desk, she turned to see the fiery-haired former-Taka member, Karin, resting her head on Sasuke's shoulder, his left arm trapped in her tentacular grip.
Anger was the first thing to register in Sakura's brain. Who the hell did this girl think she was screaming in the Hokage's office, knocking her over and attaching herself to her Sasuke-kun in such a familiar way?
White-hot jealousy burned through Sakura before reality hit her like a slap in the face.
He wasn't her Sasuke-kun anymore.
Of course, Sasuke had never been hers, but as members of Team Seven, she felt more than just a friendly possessiveness. But…there was no more Team Seven, was there?
Sakura felt sick to her stomach and hot tears built up in her eyes. She pressed her lips together and willed Tsunade to finish the mission briefing quickly. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out against this flood of emotion. As soon as the Hokage flipped the scroll to Sasuke, Sakura was out the door and down the stairs—she'd barely heard a word.
Wrestling her pack out of the dark recesses of her closet, Karin choked as dust wafted through the air in glittering clouds.
"Ugh. Haven't had to use this in a while," she said between hacking coughs.
She tugged hard on her jammed screen door and it banged open loudly. Stepping out onto the balcony, she angrily beat the dust out of her bag.
She had to stop herself before she mangled the bag beyond recognition.
Karin was pissed when the Hokage summoned her for a mission—her mind raced with ways to get out of it. Wiling away her days playing prison guard at Konoha Penitentiary was fine—as long as she got to see Sasuke. But going on missions for the Leaf? She was so not into that.
Karin hated the poky, little village that Sasuke called home. She'd resigned herself to becoming a Konoha shinobi when Sasuke told Taka that he was leaving and they were free to do as they pleased. She remembered vividly the icy dart of panic she felt when he turned from their last campsite and began to walk toward his blond, former teammate.
She glanced back at Suigetsu and Juugo once then took off running.
Sighing, she felt some of her anger fade as she thought, At least seeing Sasuke-kun's handsome face will make this mission bearable.
Yanking open a drawer, she began to sift through the clothes she would need. She giggled as she laid out some particularly scanty underwear and several filmy nightgowns.
"Sasuke-kun won't be able to help but notice these," she purred, twanging a thong on her fingers and shooting it into her pack.
Karin squealed as she momentarily lost herself in a fantasy that involved her, Sasuke, and that leopard-print thong.
She hugged her backpack tightly, thinking of how much she'd missed looking at Sasuke's face. When she'd tackled him this morning in the Hokage's office, she'd practically drooled all over him—Sasuke really was just too attractive for his own good, Karin thought, licking her lips hungrily.
But I haven't seen Sasuke-kun in months! It's like he's avoiding me or something, she pouted, puzzled.
She hooked her pack on her shoulders and dreamed of the days when Taka chased Itachi across several nations. Then, she'd seen him every day,
She knew she'd been handed a golden opportunity to become the one for Sasuke. She had to take advantage of the chance this mission afforded her.
Solidifying her confidence, Karin vowed, "I will make the most of this time with Sasuke. I will make him notice me as more than just a loyal teammate!"
Imagining herself wrapped up in his arms, an Uchiha crest on her back as the two of them snuggled together in his sleeping bag, Karin sighed. She spritzed herself with perfume before running for the gates.
She would not let this opportunity slip away.
The straps of her backpack dug sharply into her shoulders, but Sakura didn't shift them. The pain felt like some kind of penance—something she needed to suffer to begin walking the path toward forgiveness. She immediately scoffed at the ridiculousness of that thought and resituated the straps. When had she become so melodramatic?
Besides, Sasuke? Forgive her? Stupid idea.
A nauseous feeling floated in her stomach as she waited for the rest of the team to join her at the Main Gate. She tried to take deep, calming breaths, but anxiety made her restless as she leaned against the gates and huffed uneasily.
A minute later, she folded her arms and stood up straight.
Thirty seconds later, she shielded her eyes and gazed at the sun—what time was it now?
Ten seconds later, she folded her arms again and looked at her feet as she toed the ground.
Sakura was a second away from screaming at the top of her lungs in frustration as she gripped the straps of her pack with white knuckles. She just wanted to get going.
The sooner they left, the sooner this mission would be over.
Then, she heard him—all of her muscles locked up at the sound of Sasuke's sandals scraping the paving stones. His steps were heavy, loud—almost like he was warning her of his approach. Her neck ached as she awkwardly continued to look at her boots. He came within five feet of her and abruptly turned toward the village. It was only then that Sakura dared to lift her head.
Swallowing back the sick feeling in her belly, Sakura's eyes ran over his back. She shivered—the magnetism of his presence was overwhelming. Her eyes went dry as she refused to blink, to look away from his powerful profile. Sakura inhaled deeply—she wanted to drink him in.
Sasuke stood rigidly, his arms folded over his chest. Squinting, she could see how tightly his jaw was clamped shut—and then he turned his head sharply to the side and all she could see were his black spikes rippling in the wind.
A tight knot of nausea almost overcame her and she swayed slightly. Sakura knew that the coming mission would be incredibly difficult for Sasuke—her heart ached for him. She could barely conceive of the emotions that had to be racing through him—to have to investigate one of Madara's former bases had to dredge up painful memories for Sasuke. To also have to contend with her—a former teammate who tried to murder him—couldn't be making this any easier.
Sakura longed to reach out to him—to comfort him somehow. She almost laughed out loud at what a ludicrous notion that was. Comfort was surely the last thing she could give him…but she wanted to…so desperately…
Her shaking hand rose toward his tense back. As a vision of that same hand holding a kunai flashed in her mind, she panicked and quickly tried to pull her hand back, but the idea of easing Sasuke's suffering was too strong for her to resist and, slowly, she leaned in his direction.
She froze when she heard the slap of running feet coming toward them. Sakura looked down the road and saw Karin approaching—red hair streaming behind her as she screamed, "Sasuke-kuuun! Wait for meeee!"
The hand that was reaching out to Sasuke curled into a fist and Sakura felt every muscle in her body clench at the sound of Karin's screech—the girl set her on edge.
Movement from Sasuke's direction caused Sakura's head to pivot toward him.
Her world slowed to a crawl as she watched his arms drop to his sides casually—the tightness in his shoulders gone. He turned toward the path leading from the village and began to walk. As he passed Sakura, the hair that had hidden him from view, fluttered from his face and she saw that his mouth had relaxed—his jaw was no longer clenched.
Her world came crashing back into motion as Karin collided with Sasuke, grabbing his arm, desperately trying to catch her breath as she babbled about how her lateness wasn't her fault at all.
Forcing her legs to move, Sakura trailed two steps behind them. Her eyes burned and she swallowed several times to silence a cough that tickled her throat—she told herself that it was from Karin's overpowering perfume. However, it took all of her willpower to keep from turning around and running back through the village gates as she stared at their feet falling in unison on the dusty ground.
A deep pit opened in her stomach when she noticed that Sasuke had yet to shrug off Karin's grip on his arm.
Sasuke had the most annoying habit of not talking while traveling. Karin recalled month after month of leaping through trees, trudging through swamps, dragging herself through crappy, little towns searching for Itachi. And she could count on one hand the amount of words Sasuke had said directly to her in all that time. Was a little conversation too much to ask for?
They'd been traveling for about four hours, the sun nearing its apex, when Karin reached her limit.
"Sasuke-kun? Don't you think it's about time we stopped? It's noon. I'm sure you're hungry, Sasuke-kun. I know how you get when you're hungry. And I packed the most adorable bento for you! Sasuke-kun?"
The sun slid halfway down the sky before Sasuke stopped at a teahouse for a meal.
"Sasuke-kuuun! I told you! I packed lunch. We don't need to stop here."
Karin was annoyed. Why did he ruin all of her romantic plans? She'd designed a very artful bento for him. It had taken a lot of time, but she'd created a sexy vignette of the two of them out of cheese, fish paste and dried seaweed. She'd surrounded it with hundreds of syrupy natto hearts. Did he have any idea how hard it was to carve those sticky beans into heart shapes?
Despite Karin's pleas, Sasuke marched directly to the counter, sat on a stool and snatched up a menu.
"Katsudon," Sasuke told the elderly waitress before she had a chance to ask as he handed back the menu. He laced his fingers in front of his face and waited.
"Me, too," Karin announced quickly.
"And you?" The waitress had finally made her way down to Sakura who sat not on the stool next to Karin, but one seat down.
Hmph, thought Karin. The further away from Sasuke-kun you are, the better. She eyed Sakura as she curled her hand around Sasuke's bicep.
As Sakura placed her order, Karin was surprised to feel Sasuke's muscle flinch under her hand.
After they'd eaten in silence, Sasuke paid and, without a word, they were back on the trail. Karin thought she'd lose her voice completely if this total lack of conversation continued. Glancing at Sakura, she thought that there was no way in hell she was going to start some idle chitchat with her. She never would've believed it, but she actually missed Suigetsu—just his chatty ways, she amended.
She squinted as the painfully bright orange of the setting sun glinted off her glasses, temporarily blinding her.
"Sasuke-kun? It's really starting to get late. Don't you think we should make camp? It'll be too dark soon. It's going to take us a few days to reach the base. I really think we should stop now. Don't you?"
Karin huffed as Sasuke didn't even turn in her direction. He didn't flinch or scowl or anything! It's like he didn't even hear her!
She pushed a little harder off the next branch to catch up to him. She was about to complain that she had blisters on her feet and would he please carry her, when she caught the intensity of his expression. His eyes were narrowed and focused. His hair fluttered like black feathers in the rush of wind. Karin squeezed her hands together and tucked them under her chin, oohing with delight—he was so delectable, she could just die!
A stutter in the rhythm of Sakura's steps interrupted Karin's contemplation of Sasuke's finer points. Karin jerked her head in her direction and glared. Sakura adjusted her pack and launched herself to the next tree.
As Karin turned back to Sasuke, she noticed his head turning to face forward as well. Had he been roused from his goal-oriented trance by Sakura? A silent fear bloomed in Karin's chest as she looked from Sasuke to Sakura.
"Sasuke-kun? Um, I have these blisters…and…" Karin trailed off as she watched Sasuke's eyes narrow, knowing she couldn't reach him.
Finally, when the peaches and pinks of sunset faded to the purples of twilight, they dropped into a clearing to make camp for the night.
"Karin. Take the canteens. There's a stream fifteen yards north," Sasuke commanded and he disappeared like a shadow to hunt for dinner.
Karin sent Sakura a warning glare before Sakura shrugged and wandered off into the trees.
Hmph. She'd better be gathering firewood. I'm not going to do all the work around here. Karin angrily rattled the canteens as she headed for the stream. Why didn't Sasuke-kun give her a job? Ohhh! He probably thinks she wouldn't be able to handle it, she snickered to herself.
As much as she'd prefer to sit and rest, Karin realized she couldn't blatantly disobey him—Sasuke was technically the captain of their squad and his temper was very short today.
But what if Sasuke gets back from hunting and she wanders back into camp? Karin wondered. There was no way she was leaving Sakura alone with her Sasuke-kun—not after the looks she'd seen pass between them today.
A thrill ran through her as the solution to her problem popped into her head—Karin could track both of their chakra signatures. If they got back to camp before her and Sakura got anywhere near her Sasuke-kun, she'd be there in an instant.
"Brilliant!"
As soon as she was out of camp, Karin placed her hands together to activate her Kagura Shingan. She felt Sasuke's familiar, cool chakra—although, it was slightly more active than she remembered.
Must be anxiety about the mission, she thought.
Reaching out a little further, Karin was satisfied to find that Sakura's chakra signature was a distance away, slowly picking through the brush.
After filling the canteens, Karin made her way back up the hill toward camp. It was then that she saw the bright whirring of Sakura's chakra getting closer and closer to Sasuke.
She tracked Sakura stepping into the clearing and, immediately, both her and Sasuke's auras became agitated. She didn't know much about Sakura, but Karin had rarely seen Sasuke's chakra signature this irregular—so she ran.
As she broke through the thin trees bordering their campsite, both of them looked up at her—they were more than ten feet apart, so Karin's heart soared. Sakura dropped the bundle of branches in her arms and a kunai jumped into her fist—she was ready to fight.
"Karin? What happened? Are you all ri—"
A grunt from Sasuke stopped Sakura cold. She looked at him—he didn't look up from the fish he was staking—and then she looked back at Karin. Sakura seemed to collect herself. She holstered her kunai, picked up the dropped branches, and sat down opposite Sasuke, arranging the wood for a fire.
Karin panted, trying to catch her breath as she glared at Sakura. She could plainly see that the small grunt from Sasuke had sent her chakra spinning wildly, despite Sakura's placid exterior. Her initial elation was quickly squashed as she noted that Sasuke's chakra was buzzing as much as Sakura's. She set the canteens down near the pile of wood and steamed silently.
For the first time in her life, Karin glared angrily at Sasuke. She was having a hard time ascribing his flailing chakra pattern to mission-jitters anymore. She watched as he stiffly poked each fish through the mouth with a stick. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed his wooden movements and his stiff posture—where was the fluid, graceful man she'd followed for so long?
"Sasuke?"
He froze for a second as Sakura said his name—his chakra was now completely out of control.
"Could you light the fire?"
Karin almost laughed out loud. Sasuke may have hunted for Taka, but they'd always been expected to take care of the rest of camp life. Sasuke had never lit a fire for them, and he was surely not going to do it for Sakura.
Her eyes widened as she watched him immediately lift his hand to his mouth and blow a small Katon into the pile of wood Sakura had carefully positioned—neither one looking at the other during the entire exchange.
Before she canceled her jutsu in disgust, she noticed how Sasuke had barely managed to get a portion of his chakra under control to form the minor jutsu.
Karin surprised herself when she wondered when this mission would be over.
There are very few absolute goods in this world - cake, bacon, shirtless Sasuke, and Unicorn Paige. Thank you for being awesome, Paige! Oh, and for editing, too!
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