Disclaimer; I very much don't own Naruto... Despite how much I want to.
Sorry for the wait... But here's the chapter now! Little bit of romance for you romance lovers. :)
Chapter 11; Regrets
The last gleam of blue light disappeared as his eyelids closed. Naruto grew unnaturally still.
This was too much for Sakura. She instantly put a trembling hand over his body and it started to glow a light greenish blue.
"Sakura, no!" Sasuke snapped and lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her away. She didn't fight his sudden attack and just fell back on the rugged terrain, eyes wide and full of horror. Uchiha moved himself between the two, glaring down at his teammate.
Sakura fought a wail and scrambled back to her feet, racing back towards Naruto. She tried to pass Sasuke, but he just stuck out a muscular arm to block her path. His black eyes stayed fixed firmly on her face as he pushed her back.
"No!" she cried as she tried again to surpass him. But in this crazed state, the pinkette was hardly a challenge for Sasuke to keep away from Naruto. Despite this, she just kept trying. Sasuke had to admit that she was adamant, but this was quickly growing annoying. She just kept coming, that wild horror burning in those emerald green eyes.
Sasuke pushed her back once again, eyes narrowed. She fell and stared up at him. Blood was trickling down her face from the wound on her forehead and coated her entire right arm from where the rasegan hit. If anything, no matter the size, even brushed against that arm, he could see the agony in her eyes. That was a nasty wound, but she seemed like she couldn't care less.
"Sasuke! Please!" she cried again, hurling herself against his strong body. She pounded weakly against him, tears streaking down her face. Her rain soaked hair hung in a tangled mess down her scratched up face, strands of it flying in the way of her pained eyes. "If I don't, he'll die!" She crumbled like a frail leaf into Sasuke's arms, sobbing.
A sharp pain struck Sasuke in his chest, right where his heart was. For a moment, he thought he had been stabbed, but the pain wasn't the same… It wasn't physical. It was mental. What is wrong with me? He scolded himself. Why do I feel like this? Aloud, he spoke in his indifferent tone. "Sakura, you were supposed to kill him anyway. I've already defied Orochimaru by letting you leave him in this state. I've already done too much for you." He sent her a hard glare, but it crumbled at the sight of that tear stricken face.
"Please," she whimpered, her eyes drifting shut. Her body slumped in Sasuke's strong arms. The rogue exhaled sharply and picked her up lightly. It was almost alarming how light the young kunoichi was in his arms. For a moment, he just stared at her pale form, so frail in his grasp. Then those onyx eyes shifted to Naruto. He felt strangely indifferent; not in his normal way. This was almost… Like he was sad that this had to happen.
A thunderous boom shook Sasuke from his thoughts. Lifting his head, the ninja looked up at the ominous clouds, heaving their liquid down on the world below. The drops were only falling harder. This storm was dangerous. In no way would this be a good storm for anyone to stay out in. Sasuke had to get Sakura out of this tempest. With the amount of blood she's lost… He needed to get her to someplace warm and dry and to try and patch her up. Of course, she was the medical ninja. It's always the medical ninja who gets hurt.
Taking her into his arms, Sasuke scanned the area real quickly with his sharigan. He noticed someone watching from the bushes, but it only took him a second to identify this person as Hinata Hyuga. Nothing to worry about there… But if she, one of the Leaf shinobi, was here, then that must mean that others are here too. Time to exit the scene, and quickly.
Sasuke stared—hard—at where Hinata was hiding to let her know that she was noticed. He could have sworn he heard a soft gasp but the ninja didn't stick around to find out. With Sakura in his arms, Uchiha turned and dashed off into the squall.
Her breath caught in her throat as those cruel red eyes fixed firmly on the bushes that sheltered Hinata from the enemy just a few steps away. She stayed perfectly still, barely daring to breathe until he was gone.
The moment that she could, the kunoichi burst out of the undergrowth and scrambled over to Naruto. She frantically grabbed some of the cloth bandages that she stored in her bags and pressed them to his worst wounds, hoping to stop the bleeding.
"Naruto!" she whispered hoarsely, running a soft hand down his cheek. "Hang in there, Naruto…" She leaned down over him, her long bluish black hair brushing his face. "Just hang in there…"
Why? Why would Sakura do this? What the heck is going on?!
The strong scent of wet dog overcame the two ninjas standing in the rain, just on the edge of a village.
"Akamaru! Any luck?" one of the two called, his slick brown hair hanging heavy and wet on his brow.
Several loud barks responded to the call, coming from somewhere in the forest.
The other ninja, whose face was well covered by a light green hood, turned to face his companion. "Well, Kiba? Does Akamaru know where they went?"
Kiba nodded, his slit black eyes gleaming. "It's this way. He picked up the scent over here."
The two started running towards the origin of the loud barks.
As they ran, Kiba mused, "I wonder why they left… Well, Naruto is no surprise. But Hinata? She normally would wait for us…"
"Think about it."
After a moment of silence, Kiba snorted. "Oh, duh. Naruto and Hinata. That makes sense… But why haven't they come back yet, Shino?"
Shino sighed. "I'm sure they're fine. But we'll find out when we get there."
The two quickly pulled up to the large dog that was waiting. His creamy white fur hung down in wet spikes, glistening with the rain. He tossed his head and let out a short bark, eyes gleaming.
"Akamaru, run on ahead. Find Naruto and Hinata. We'll catch up." Kiba commanded.
A soft whine escaped the dog.
"Go on, boy. We don't want to lose the scent."
The canine blinked, then spun around and dashed off deeper in the forest.
After exchanging a silent glance, the two ninja followed.
Silence echoed around them. Only the soft pitter-patter of the rain filled the air.
A sharp howl shattered the mesmerizing splatter of rain.
Both ninjas glanced towards each other.
"Akamaru… Found something," Kiba shouted over to Shino. But despite his strong exterior, inside Kiba was feeling jittery. There was something in Akamaru's howl… Something that suggested that they wouldn't like what they found.
This dark suspicion was proved right when they arrived at the clearing. Akamaru stood in the shadows of the trees, his soaked pelt ruffled in alarm. His head twisted around and with a whimper, he gazed at his master. Both ninjas gasped at what they saw.
The clearing was covered in shattered shards of rock, all heaped up and piled everywhere. Branches of some of the surrounding trees were scattered on the edges of the clearing. A stream on the far edge was overflowing from all of the rain, sending water surging down further into the forest. It looked like a tornado had torn through here and ripped the place to shreds. But the most alarming part was the blood.
Drops of it were scattered across the tattered battlefield, somehow untouched by the rain. Some of the larger, sharper rocks had their tips coated in it. But what really grabbed the attention of Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru was the dangerously large pool of blood in one relatively flat part of the clearing. There was no body or anything else, but nothing could have survived losing that much blood.
Kiba stared at it, hardly believing what the scene suggested. His dog padded over and nudged his hand, whimpering softly. They stared together at the horrific sight.
Shino stepped silently out into the clearing, making sure not to misstep on the treacherous ground. He neared the pool of deep red, his emotions hidden behind his dark glasses. He turned back to Kiba and called in his monotone voice, "Well?"
How… How could this have happened? Kiba silently howled in his head as he made his way over to the morbid pool. He crouched near it and inhaled. "This place reeks of Naruto… There's no doubt that this is his blood." He moved a little bit, then paused. "Right here, I can smell a trace of Hinata. No doubt that she tried to… To save him." He closed his eyes for a moment to try and gather his emotions. "You know how she felt towards Naruto. She wouldn't have thought twice about sacrificing her life for him…" Kiba choked out.
Shino nodded and murmured in a voice traced with sorrow, "Anything else you can find to suggest who might have done this to them?"
"Hold on." Kiba moved around a little, circling the pool of blood. Closing his eyes, the ninja inhaled sharply. He jumped slightly and his eyes snapped open. Shaking his head in confusing, he gulped in the air once more. A look of alarm crossed his face."
"What is it?" Shino asked calmly.
"Impossible! This… This just can't be! How the heck…"
"What is it?" Shino repeated.
Kiba turned and faced his teammate. "They're two other scents here; one's far stronger than the other. But I can hardly believe either of them."
"Who is it?"
"The faint one… I'm not completely positive… But it smells like… Like Sasuke Uchiha." Before Shino had a chance to say anything, Kiba added, "He wasn't the one fighting Naruto, at least, not half as much as the other person. He's scent is too scarce. Uchiha may have been assisting the first person, but he wasn't the main one in this battle."
"Sasuke, huh?" Shino mused. "That isn't too surprising…"
With a snort, Kiba growled, "The next one is. I know I can't be mistaken on this. Her scent is far too heavy for me to be confused. It's her, without a doubt."
"Her?"
"Yes. As outrageous at it sounds, the one who attacked Naruto… It was… It…" He shook his head and snapped, "It was Sakura Haruno!"
Sasuke gazed up at the never ending rain, his eyes narrowed. From the shelter cave where he was laying low, the outlaw could see well out into the storming forest. If anyone was remotely close to them, he could see them with his sharigan. Here in this forest cave, they would be safe until the storm settled down.
Turning, Sasuke gazed back over to where Sakura was now sleeping. Her hard sobbing had eventually died down to a low murmur, and just a few minutes ago the fatigue overwhelmed her and the kunoichi fell into a deep sleep. Sasuke had done all he could for numerous wounds that covered her body from the difficult battle. There was nothing more for him to do, so he let her sleep.
Gazing back out into the rain, Sasuke allowed his thoughts to drift. Of course, they found their way to the pink-haired girl behind him. Seeing her in such angst… Why did it make his heart twist up and leave him with a sick feeling in his stomach? He had always been good at keeping emotionless and cold, yet this one girl made him feel so… Strange.
What is going on with me?!
It seemed so impossible, but both Shino and Kiba knew that it was true. Everything they found pointed to Sakura as the culprit.
The clearing reeked of her scent. They had found small pieces of pink hair around the area. Weapons that greatly resembled the weapons Sakura tended to use were scattered throughout the battleground. All the evidence was there. Haruno had been the one to do this.
Despite how hard they searched, Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru found not a trace of Hinata or of Naruto. Even with all their resources, neither could find the slightest hint of what happened to them, or if they were dead or alive. But despite their desperate hopes, the huge quantity of blood suggested the former. But it seemed all of the blood belonged to Naruto or Sakura, based off of Akamaru's nose. Not any of it seemed to come from Hinata… Whatever that meant.
Kiba stared down at the ground uneasily. It was hard to swallow that Naruto and Hinata were… Were probably gone.
"Kiba." Shino's voice snapped the ninja out of his thoughts.
"Huh?" He turned, his shaggy brown hair hanging down from the rain.
"Is there absolutely no sign of any of them still here, am I correct?"
Lowering his head, Kiba nodded. "Not a trace of where any of them could have gone. It's like they all just disappeared."
"Then the only thing for us to do is to head back to the Hidden Leaf as quickly as possible. Lady Tsunade must hear this news."
With a gruff nod, Kiba and Akamaru followed Shino as the three took off towards the Hidden Leaf.
Pitter, patter. Pitter, patter.
The endless rain drummed on outside. But Sasuke paid little attention to the falling droplets. He sighed, lost in a world of thought.
Pitter, patter. Pitter, patter.
The sooner this storm was over, the sooner Sasuke could get out of this desolate forest. The sooner he could…
A soft groan sounded behind him. Sakura was finally awake.
Without looking, Sasuke heard the soft rustle of fabric and knew that Sakura was sitting up. She yawned quietly.
"Well?" he bluntly said, keeping his eyes fixed on the stormy grey clouds.
"Well what?" she murmured in a hoarse voice. Sasuke turned his head ever so slightly and gazed back at her from the corner of his eye. She was sitting there, looking shallowly at the ground, tears brimming in her eyes once again. She looked so frail…
"Are you good enough to go?"
"I…" An extremely long pause ended the conversation. They both sat in silence for a moment; the only sound was the echoing pound of rain.
After a few minutes of this uncomfortable silence, Sasuke turned and looked at her coolly, only to see the kunoichi with her face buried in her hands. Tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped down to the stone ground.
What happened next wasn't something that happened consciously. It just happened of its own accord.
Sasuke leaned over and wrapped his strong arms around Sakura's chest, pulling her close. Her head shot up, exposing her puffy red eyes, still streaming with tears, to the cold air. Sasuke just held her for a moment, offering silent comfort. His firm arms held her tight in a soothing embrace, strong and stable against her trembling body. And she didn't resist. The pinkette just allowed him to hold her.
And then the moment was over.
Sasuke pulled away and turned back towards the rain, his eyes cast down towards the ground below them. He said nothing, unmoving as ever. Sakura breathed slowly, her emerald gaze plastered to his back, but she didn't say anything either. She just stared in confused wonder at the handsome man who sat in front of her, acting as if it had never happened. Slowly, her gaze fell down to the floor as the young kunoichi gave into the overwhelming exhaustion that threatened to overtake her mind another time. She just wasn't ready to face reality yet.
Her breathing slowed dramatically, and Sasuke could tell that she was fast asleep once again. But he was nowhere near that. As he stared out into the rain, his mind raced.
I… I… The ninja tried to come to terms with the conflicting emotions that tore through his heart. That single embrace had felt so… so good. He couldn't explain it. It just did.
But his restless mind finally came to a halt on one conclusion. As much as it pained him to realize this, he knew with all his heart that it was completely true. There was not tricking himself. Seeing her in this agony had proved it all.
I… I love her.
And she hates me.
A/N; Apologies for the wait... I didn't mean for it to take so long to get this chapter out there. It just happened that way. Hope I stayed true to the characters in this chapter... My first attempt of any real romance in basically any of my stories. Sasuke is hard to write about romantically... Please let me know if there's something you think I can do to make it better.
On the first chapter, I said that I might choose to be kind to people who want to just jump to the romance and skip the rest... If having a quick summary at the start of this chapter sounds appealing to you, please tell me somehow! I really want to know what people think!
Got Questions?
If you're confused on anything at all in the story, feel free to ask! I don't want any confused people walking around. No matter how stupid you think the question is, ask away! After all, the only stupid question is a question not asked. (Don't forget that I have the right to not answer any questions… don't want to give away any surprises I have in the future!)
Review, if you please!
I'd really appreciate if you'd review. Tell me what you think I should change, any ideas you have, etc… I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for reading! No idea when the next chapter will be out... But while you wait, have an amazing day!
-Cynder7777