Chapter 3:
Sakura dressed that night more carefully than normal. She had her maid tie her favorite corset as tightly as possible, wore her best undergarments, and chose a ruffle-sleeved Prussian blue dress with black and cream flowers printed on the fabric. The fabric wrapped around her skirt into a large bustle, where layers of black silk mixed with the floral Prussian blue. Sakura's maid carefully wrapped her hair up around the crown of her head, leaving a few hairs down around her neck that she carefully curled into tight ringlets. The maid then carefully placed an onyx floral comb in her hair. After adding a matching necklace to her creamy neck, Sakura stared carefully in the mirror.
Her pink hair shone silky and vibrant in contrast with the deep blue and black of her dress. Her cheeks were pink with anticipation, and her lips were rosy and plump. She represented a put-together woman who had the confidence she lacked as a child. Sakura at her reflection. There was no way Sasuke could ever think of her as the same person she used to be.
After a spritz of perfume, the pinkette sauntered down to her entrance hall, where Kakashi was waiting to accompany her to dinner. He bowed as he saw her, and his eyes lit up with a kind smile. She knew he was giving an approval of her appearance. He was in a black cutaway coat with a vest underneath that almost matched the color blue of Sakura's dress. He had on a black cravat and top-hat. He was quite handsome, and it always surprised Sakura that he had not found a wife to settle down with.
"Good evening, Sakura," her sensei said with a bow.
"Good evening, Kakashi-sensei" She responded, curtseying before grabbing her cloak, gloves, and purse from her butler. Kakashi offered his arm to her, which she gladly took. He escorted her into his carriage, and they began the journey to Naruto's.
"Sakura…" Kakashi began. Sakura almost knew what he was going to say before he finished. "How are you feeling? About Sasuke?"
"I don't know," Sakura sighed. "Of course, I'm glad he's back. But I just keep wondering to myself if he's actually back."
Kakashi nodded. "I've been thinking the same thing. We have no idea what he's been doing the last few years, and how devoted to the village he is. It seems that he's found some sort of peace within himself, which makes me wonder where that has come from. I have a hunch that Sasuke has more than one purpose here than just serving Konoha."
"What do you suppose he has in mind?"
"Well, if we think about what his goals for the future have always been, then he's only ever had two objectives since he became a genin. The first is to avenge his family by killing his brother. The second is to restore his clan. If he's back in Konoha of his own accord, there is a strong chance that he's accomplished the first of those goals, which would also explain the odd peace about him."
"So you think that Sasuke killed Itachi?" Sakura swallowed, her eyes wide.
"I have a feeling that he has. However, we won't know until he's ready to tell us. It's important not to push him, especially because I'm sure he didn't want a thing to do with us in the first place."
"What do you mean, he doesn't want to be around us?" Sakura's eyes grew wider.
"Sasuke attempted to sever the bonds he had with us when he went away. He was willing to give us up for power. However, I have a feeling that no matter how hard he tried to forget us, he was not able to. I'm sure that coming back here and being placed on the same team not only frightens him because he does not want to have any strong connections, but makes it more difficult for him to forget what it's like to have the equivalent of a family. If Sasuke has killed Itachi, then he is the sole heir of the Uchiha clan. To him, he has no blood-related family left. We, however, represent the chance at a family for whom he would die for. Sasuke has loved and lost so much, that the idea of having us as a family probably makes him scared of losing us. Therefore, he would probably choose to go on solo missions than be on a team. Then, the fear of losing a companion wouldn't be as severe. If he isn't close to us, then the hurt of losing one of us would be lessened."
Sakura took all this in, thinking. She felt anger swelling within her chest. "Doesn't he know how ridiculous that is? It's bound to be more painful for him to come back here and see us, and remember the bonds we have, and never get close with us again. He's lost everyone, and is isolating himself farther into darkness, which will only be counter-productive. If he truly wants power, then having a support system will enable him to accomplish more. I'm also sure that Sasuke wouldn't really be truly at peace if Itachi died. No matter how much he hates his brother, Itachi was still the last living relative he had. Isolating himself will only make his grief worse." Sakura paused for a moment. "Also, if he wants to restore his clan, he'll have to eventually find someone to be close to." Sakura felt a pang in her heart at that. One day, Sasuke would have some wife that he would make love with and produce children with. When she was younger, she had always felt a longing to be that wife. Now, Sakura had little hope of being that for Sasuke. He could barely even look at her. "I just feel as though his return should have brought me joy, but in reality, I've felt nothing but confusion and anger since I saw his face." She cursed his handsome face as is flashed through her mind.
Kakashi nodded, pity shining in his eyes. "It's going to take some getting used to," Kakashi thought. "Naruto will have no problem getting readjusted, because that's just who he is. Sai will adapt to Sasuke's return easily after a few days of observation. You, on the other hand need time and patience. I'll bet you still harbor incredibly strong love for him, and that your feelings only grew in his absence, which makes this harder for you than any of us will realize."
Kakashi flashed a smile at his sad looking student. "Don't worry, Sakura. Everything will work out for the best."
Sakura smiled gratefully at him. The two shared a special bond, different from what Kakashi had with Naruto, Sai and Sasuke. Sakura had the keenest intelligence and kindest heart of the four, making her an excellent discussion partner for the wise silver-haired gentleman. She had grown into a beautiful young woman, and Kakashi hoped with affection that she would find the happiness she truly deserved.
The young woman and her teacher pulled up to the Uzumaki residence soon after their discussion finished to see Sai stepping inside Naruto's home. With some help from Kakashi, Sakura stepped outside to get a full view of the bright Uzumaki residence. The large faded brick mansion was warm and welcoming, with vines of flowers that would bloom in spring growing up the sides. It was just like Naruto: warm and oddly sunny, even with white snow covering the roof. Sakura smiled, comforted by the familiarity of Naruto's home.
As they walked up the steps, the door was thrown open by none other than the owner of the house. Naruto, dressed in a black suit with a dull gold vest and matching bowtie, was smiling at them as though it was the best night of his life.
"Sakura-chan! Kakashi-sensei!" He greeted the, with a quick bow. "You're the last two to arrive."
"Ah, calm down Naruto," Sakura told her hyperactive friend with a bright smile. She curtseyed towards him, looking around. Sai was standing in the hall, clad in deep green, handing his hat to Naruto's butler. Sasuke was standing with his hands in his pocket, staring at Sakura holding Kakashi's arm.
"You look beautiful, Sakura! Dattebayo!" Naruto told her with a bright smile as Sakura took off her coat. With an even wider grin at Naruto, Sakura retook Kakashi's arm and turned slightly to look at Sasuke. He was a vision of pure male perfection. His long hair was pulled back into a small ponytail with a plum ribbon that matched his cravat. He wore a deep grey suit that accentuated his perfectly constructed body, and Sakura's mouth almost started watering. His delectable mouth was set in an arrogant grimace, and his aristocratic face looked almost bored. He represented the perfect Uchiha: cold, sexy, and proud.
Sakura looked away from him and turned her attentions to Sai, who had just greeted her. Following Naruto to the dining room, with her arm wrapped around Kakashi's, Sakura almost totally ignored the man who held her heart. She couldn't help herself, however, from the quiet "Sasuke-kun" that spilled from her mouth as she walked past him, her eyes not leaving his handsome face. He nodded back at her, a look of indifference on his handsome face. With disappointment in her heart, she turned away, vowing not to give him attention for the rest of the night.
Sasuke was quietly seething through most of dinner. He refused to look at Sakura or Kakashi, who were both engaged in pleasant conversation with each other. Instead, he put up with Naruto's ramblings and even answered some of Sai's ridiculously intrusive questions. Before the odd man had arrived, Naruto had warned him that the artist was socially inept, and was learning how to behave in society.
It wasn't until dessert that Sasuke couldn't help but glance at Sakura, who was smiling like an angel at Naruto and Kakashi. She looked breathtaking in the deep blue dress she was wearing, and he could appreciate with impartiality that she really had blossomed since he had seen her as a child. At the sight of her entering with her hand on Kakashi's arm wearing almost the same shades of blue, an unknown anger had flared through him. Sasuke had been away for so long, and he had no idea what the relationship between his former teammate and sensei was, and it disgusted him. For the first time, the idea that Sakura had moved on from him resounded in his head. For some reason, it upset him more than he was willing to admit. She was quiet around him, and had only acknowledged him with a simple "Sasuke-kun" the entire night. She was definitely not the girl he remembered. She had grown into someone calm, collected, and unobtrusive. While they were qualities he wished she'd had as a child, he begrudgingly admitted that he missed her fiery temper and meddlesome disposition.
Sakura was no longer a girl. She was a woman, and Sasuke had missed her growth and development. He felt as though she were a total stranger. It was as though he knew as much about this new Sakura as he did about Sai.
"It doesn't matter anyways," Sasuke thought to himself, stopping his unpleasant thoughts. "You only have to deal with her when absolutely necessary."
After dinner, the group was walking to a small gazebo that lay in the middle of the Uzumaki property where they could look out and see the majority of Konoha. It was a relaxing view, and oddly brought Sasuke a sense of peace. Sakura was gazing out serenely on the other side of the gazebo, while Naruto childishly challenged Sai to a snowball fight.
"Be careful you two!" Sakura chastised them, her voice laced with menace. "You're fully grown men. If either of you hit me with a snowball, you will regret it."
When the two nodded morosely, Sasuke almost laughed. While her temper had once been fearsome, Sakura was always all bark and no bite. The fact that Naruto and Sai, who had to be a jonin, were scared of one woman was funny to Sasuke.
Kakashi, meanwhile, had moved to stand by Sasuke while Sakura watched the stars.
"How does it feel to be home?" The silver-haired man offered.
"It's…interesting." Sasuke replied. Knowing that was all he was going to get, Kakashi began discussing their mission with him.
"This ball will be your first entrance back into society," Kakashi began. "We will use that to our advantage. Your emergence into our world will cause quite a stir. No doubt, women will flock to you and men will make themselves known to you. Because of that, if Sakura pays him attention when no one else does, it will be much easier to extract information." Sasuke's black gloved hands balled themselves into fists at the thought of Sakura being a pawn to extract information.
"So you're planning her totally defenseless in the palms of some filthy criminal?" Sasuke seethed.
"Uhm, not exactly-" Kakashi began sheepishly before he was cut off.
"She should not be the only choice in this mission. We have two jonin who can handle this." Sasuke continued, his face contorting with arrogance.
Sakura flipped her head towards him, her eyes ablaze with anger. Just as she was about to say something, however, a large pile of snow hit her in the stomach. Not flinching, she simply looked down at her beautiful dress that now had a large wet spot in the middle. She looked up to see Naruto staring at her, dumbfounded, a look of pure horror and anger on his face.
Staring right at him the entire time, Sakura slowly made her way to the jinchuriki, who was too scared to move. Glancing around, Sasuke saw that his other two teammates had looks of pity and fright on their faces. It absolutely astounded him. There was no way that the quiet, almost demure woman that he had seen earlier could be causing this kind of terror.
Sakura stopped directly in front of Naruto. He closed his eyes tightly, fearing for his life. Sakura slowly raised her hand towards his face, a look of utmost anger on her own. She reached her fingers out, and for a very anger-surged moment, Sasuke thought she was going to poke Naruto in the same way Itachi did to him when they were children. Instead, however, she lifted her finger and flicked him in the middle of the forehead. What made Sasuke's jaw drop was the fact that Naruto went flying clear across his yard, hitting a tree and then landing in a pile of snow.
Sai ran to lift the blonde up as Sakura turned and walked back towards the house. She stopped in front of Kakashi, a look of arrogant fury on her face. "I will heal Naruto inside the house."
She then haughtily tilted her head towards Sasuke, who was astounded at what he just saw and heard. "For your information Sasuke-kun," Her siren voice was deadly. "I am perfectly capable of defending myself against those much stronger than any normal dandy criminal in a ballroom. So, as one of the only two jonin on the squad, I am best suited for extracting information on this mission. Don't worry about me."
At that, the beautiful young lady sauntered back to the mansion, her head thrown back in disdain.
"Give her a few minutes, she'll cool off." Kakashi stated while watching her retreating back, a contrite expression on his face. "Unfortunately, her temper has only worsened since she became Tsunade's apprentice."
Tsunade's apprentice? A jonin? Who in the world had Sakura become? Sasuke felt respect blooming for Sakura. Not only had she displayed an incredible physical strength he hadn't seen the likes of since the Hokage, but she was obvious talented and brave enough to be an elite ninja. She was beautiful and hot-blooded, a combination that seemed deadly to Sasuke at that moment. He felt something growing in him that was stronger than any sexual attraction he had ever felt, and it terrified him.
Sasuke was roused from his thoughts by Sai arriving at the pavilion supporting a very bruised Naruto.
"Eh, Sakura-chan sure is scary. Dattebayo," The boy tried to joke, a half-hearted smile on his face.
"She said she would heal you inside. Did you have to hit her with a snowball?" Kakashi asked, shaking his head.
"It was an accident!" Naruto whined.
"Hn, dobe." Sasuke muttered, incensing his former best friend.
"What was that, teme?"
"If I were you two," Sai interjected, a peculiar smile on his face. "I wouldn't start fighting, or Sakura will punish us all."
At that, the artist began moving with Naruto towards the house, and the remaining two followed. They found the pink-haired woman in Naruto's front parlor, pouring herself a cup of tea, totally composed. Sasuke was once again astounded. Where was the temper he had just witnessed?
"Where would you like him, Sakura?" Sai questioned upon entering.
"Over by the fire," she replied, putting down her teacup after taking a sip. Seating himself as far away from his old teammate as possible, Sasuke watched her walk over to Naruto.
"Sorry, Sakura-chan," Naruto pouted. Sakura removed her gloves, revealing delicate and beautiful milky white hands. Sasuke couldn't take his eyes off of them.
"You have to be more careful, Naruto." Sakura censured as her hands began glowing green. She then placed her hands on Naruto's scalp, where an ugly bump had formed. In no time, the bump had completely disappeared. She then moved her hands to Naruto's back, which for some reason was rather unpleasant to Sasuke. Sakura moved her hands effortlessly and delicately, a seemingly total contrast to the extreme strength those same hands seemed capable of. He watched her faced, pouting in concentration. He stared at the diamond on her forehead, wondering what it meant and what powers were associated with it. Sakura seemed to be full of surprises, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it.
The party remained there for another hour before a missive came for Kakashi. Sakura and Naruto were bickering about something trivial, and Sai was drawing on a notepad. Sasuke and Kakashi had discussed the mission again, this time without Sasuke daring to mention Sakura's possible weaknesses. They were all interrupted by the sound of a messenger hawk tapping its beak on the window.
Kakashi stood up and walked to the window, opening it to take the scroll from the bird. He opened the note and sighed.
"I'm afraid I'll have to cut this short," He turned to face the rest of the room. "I have been summoned to the Hokage's office. Unfortunately, Sakura, I will not be able to take you home. Would any of you-"
"I'll take her home," Sasuke found himself interrupting. The entire room turned to stare at him, astounded. Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly, a look of apathy on his face. "Her house is on my path home."
Kakashi turned to Sakura. "Any objections?" She slowly shook her head no, not wanting to cause a problem.
"Then it's settled. I'll see you all tomorrow at one for training. We'll meet at training ground three." With a bow, Kakashi walked out of the room, and left behind two people who had no idea what to expect from their carriage ride home.
After saying their goodbyes to Naruto and Sai, the rather uncomfortable pair took their places opposite each other in Sasuke's lavish carriage. Sakura leaned back against the rich seat, inhaling the scent of leather and musky cologne.
"Even the carriage smells like Sasuke," she thought to herself. His scent permeated through her, giving her a sensation the likes of which she'd never felt. It frightened her a little. Sparing a glance at the man across from her, she caught a glimpse of the chiseled outline of his jaw, the aristocratic nose, and smoldering eyes that were staring directly out the window. He was so attractive it hurt.
The silence between them was filled with tension. Sakura didn't know whether to talk to him or not. It would be the polite thing to do. It seemed, though, that Sasuke didn't really care for manners much. What Sakura really wanted to know was why he'd offered to take her home when he hadn't said two words to her the entire night.
"Sasuke-kun?" She almost whispered. When he turned his head to her expectantly, a look of indifference on his beautiful features, she chickened out.
"Did you enjoy dinner?" She asked, blushing and averting her gaze from his face.
"Aa," was his only response. Sasuke watched as the blush crept up her face. When she bit her lip demurely, he felt a shockwave run through his body. For the first time, he felt the urge to grab her lips with his own and suck the same lip she was biting. Shivering, the Uchiha pushed those thoughts away, feeling absolutely bewildered and uncertain of where these feelings were coming from.
They spent the rest of the ride in awkward silence, stealing glances at each other. When they arrived at the Haruno residence, Sasuke surprised Sakura by escorting her out of the carriage all the way to the front door. When their hands touched, a spark of electricity went through the two of them, causing Sakura to blush again.
"Goodnight, Sasuke-kun," Sakura told him as she opened the door, the warm candlelight showcasing the pensive look on her beautiful face. As she closed the door behind her, she heard the whisper of a "goodnight, Sakura," that only made her heart beat faster and her mouth go dry. She made her way up to her room, confused and lost. She didn't know what Sasuke thought of her, or what his being back really meant. When she had undressed and layed down in her soft bed, Sakura couldn't help the tears that escaped as she tried to find solace in the darkness of sleep.
Sasuke went to train the moment he got home. He darted from his carriage and jumped on his roof, stepped in through his window, and quickly changed into old training clothes. He then crawled back out through his window and began doing the most physically exerting training he could think of. He needed to let out his frustration at himself and at his pink-haired teammate. Why did he offer to take her home? Why did she elicit such feelings of physical attraction from him?
This was only their first night together. If Sasuke stayed near Sakura for prolonged periods of time, there was no telling what he would do. He had incredible control, it was true; but Sakura seemed dangerously close to making him do some things he would ultimately regret. She was too beautiful, too strong, and too lively for her own good. She smelled like a field of flowers. Hints of lavender, honeysuckle, rose, and cherry blossom intermingled within his carriage, driving him wild. Her fiery temper and confidence impressed him, and he found himself looking forward to seeing what she would do during training the next day. She seemed fearless, but during the carriage ride, she had been quieter and demurer than he had ever seen. She looked angelically innocent, a completely different side from the overpowering woman he had seen in Naruto's gazebo. The many sides of Sakura intrigued Sasuke. He thought about how beautiful she had looked in the deep blue and cream dress she was wearing that night. It emphasized her curvy figure and illicited feelings that he'd never felt before. He then thought about Kakashi wearing matching colors with her and escorting her everywhere, which led to Sasuke eliciting a stronger fireball jutsu than he meant to cast.
The sharingan wielder needed to distract himself by any means possible. He could not think about the pink-haired woman who was almost a total stranger to him. He needed to think about other things. As he impaled a tree with chidori, the Uchiha decided that it was high time he looked for a wife with hair any color other than pink.