A/N: Thank you for the rave reviews!
Read and enjoy!
Chapter 8
The floor-length mirror reflected the image of a woman wearing an untied maroon kimono and hair that had been left loose, undone. Said figure frowned at her reflection as if disappointed with her image. Then, she heard the door open, revealing a dark haired man in his usual dark-blue shirt and cardigan shorts. The woman immediately snapped her kimono to a close and looked at his bored expression that was engrained on the mirror.
"Please give me another minute, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke nodded and muttered something like "Women", before leaving the room to give her some space.
After making sure that he was out of earshot, Sakura headed back to her reflection and inspected her body again. She picked up the wide purple obi from its place on the bed and wrapped it around her mid-section. Inspecting her appearance, she turned sideward and noted with displeasure that the obi did not do much to hide the ominous concaved shape of her abdomen. It really was awful.
I look like a baby whale! Sakura thought with a large sum of anxiety, clearly horrified by the realisation.
Unknowingly, she had gained a lot of weight over the past few weeks, eating whatever she laid her eyes on regardless of the time or the place. Even though her fellow medic said that her weight gain is normal and is still within the normal range for one undergoing a typical pregnancy, she couldn't help but think that she was starting to turn into the female version of Chouji.
She heard two soft knocks on the door, a sign of Sasuke's waning patience.
"I'm coming!" Sakura hollered in reply, hands lifting to sort out the mess of pink tresses that waved softly around her face. She pulled her hair, tied it at the back of her nape and secured it with an ornamental chopstick. After checking her appearance for the last time, she dabbed some lip gloss over her lips and exited as Sasuke had no more than five minutes ago.
Her dark haired husband was leaning against the gate when she arrived, looking bored as ever.
"Let's go." She stated with a small smile settling on her plump pink lips.
He merely glanced at her for a second before turning around to walk.
While walking in complete silence, Sakura thought of something decent and polite to say to her brooding spouse. She found herself gazing up at him and whispering softly, so only he could hear, "Thank you for accompanying me today."
Sasuke just nodded and continued on his way, with her close to his side.
Konoha was currently celebrating the Spring Festival, where the villagers are supposed to gather at the park and admire the beauty of newly-bloomed flowers and trees. It was one of Sakura's favourite times of the year because she really loved the way the different colors of the blossoms blended together to create a sea of endless beauty. Fortunately, Sasuke had agreed to accompany her after tireless persistence and Naruto's taunting that he was being "anti-social". He had never like social events, thinking that it was a waste of his time; that's why it came as a surprise to Sakura that he had agreed to come with her, albeit reluctantly.
Feeling the need, compulsion, to remind him of how grateful, truly grateful, she was, Sakura raised her gaze to meet with his once more, a carefree grin splitting her lips as she said once again, "Really, Sasuke-kun; thank you for coming with me today."
Grunting an incomprehensible reply (as per usual, and to be expected), Sasuke just nodded and continued walking—now a few steps ahead of her.
Taking it as a positive notion, Sakura smiled and edged closer to him as they walked together.
oOo
Eyes.
Stares.
Whispers.
Sasuke clenched his teeth but remained calm and composed as he ignored the boring eyes and whispers of the people around him. It was one of the main reasons why he disliked attending social events like the Spring Festival.
Even though he's not looking, he could feel and hear the stares and whispers behind his back. Some of the villagers have not yet accepted him whole-heartedly despite his obvious return to their side, and the help he had provided them with when the Fourth Shinobi World War had been waged—even his service to the village for more than five years was not recognised. They still thought of him as a traitor.
He really didn't want to come here in the first place, if not for Sakura's persistent invitation. He had agreed along with his motive to see if the person following her was still around; he might catch the unknown identity if he's lucky enough to. Sakura said that she no longer felt the foreign presence, not since before the year had ended. Does that mean that the unidentified follower had just collected information about her?
Information for what purpose?
Whatever the reason, he knew that she wasn't safe, even within the confines of her home village.
"Hey, Teme!" Naruto called out to him. "Want some rice balls?"
"No."
Naruto shrugged and continued eating happily. The blonde was not here to view the blossoms, but to munch away the foods Hinata and Sakura had brought with them. Speaking of the Hyuuga girl, Sasuke found both her and Naruto an odd pair for a couple. Naruto is boisterous, loud-mouthed and outgoing while the Hyuuga seemed to be such a shy person, who is always on the verge of fainting whenever she's with Naruto
"Teeheehee!"
What the—?
Sasuke heard a bout of girlish giggles. He turned his head, only to find a group of three young women tittering and looking directly at him.
Stupid women. He thought angrily. He glared at them, but instead of scampering away, they just averted their eyes and giggled some more, before they resumed whispering with one another. The woman at the center of the group, particularly the one with long, brown hair and dark eyes, levelled her eyes on him, matching his gaze with hers intensely.
What does this woman want?
oOo
oOo
Carnations, daffodils, lilacs, lilies and roses.
Sakura touched the delicate petals of the white rose with her fingers, grazing the tips lightly so as not to break the delicate blossom. Each flower has its own beauty and distinctive scent that sets it apart from the rest. Her favourites are pink and white lilies. They may not be as popular as the rose, but they have a particular fragrance and beauty that made them fascinating to her.
She suddenly remembered her childhood activities with Ino. They used to play a lot at the park along with other girls of their age, picking flowers and turning them into crowns, headbands or necklaces. It was something that only the female gender could appreciate. Men? They would never understand why women love flowers as much as they do.
True enough, Naruto was busy eating everything inside the picnic basket while Sasuke seemed bored—
Wait a minute.
Sakura stopped and turned to look at Sasuke closely. He was gazing intently at a group of young women, aged from 18 to 23 years. Among the group, the brown-haired woman caught her attention because she was locking eyes with Sasuke, smiling unashamedly in a weird way that seemed to be telling Sasuke to come over and join her. They were not just staring at Sasuke, they were practically ogling him like he was a piece of delicious meat that they were rarin' to have.
Wait a second, that bitch is flirting with Sasuke!
"Whoa! Can't you see that woman?" Inner Sakura piped in. "She's flirting with our Sasuke! Do something!"
Sakura's green eyes narrowed at the woman.
"Don't just stand there! Show that slut what we've got!" Inner Sakura shouted at her. "Give her a nice Sakura punch!"
Inner Sakura suddenly donned a pair of red boxing gloves and started punching an imaginary opponent.
Reflexively, her hands balled into fists. She had not practiced the Cherry Blossom Impact for months. That woman's face looked like a lovely practice place to start off with.
"Sasuke." She called out sweetly.
The group turned to look at her, clearly surprised with the lack of honorific on his name and the saccharine-coated way she called him.
"Let's go home." Sakura exclaimed with particular emphasis on the word "home." "I'm tired."
For a few seconds, Sasuke looked at her with a mixture of puzzlement and wonder. Then, it was gone, and he just nodded in agreement.
"We'd better." He said monotonously, relief evident in his expression.
Sakura turned to Hinata and Naruto. "We're going home."
"W-why?" Hinata asked.
"I'm tired."
"Oh!" Gasped Hinata. "T-take care, Sakura-san."
Naruto just waved at them merrily, his mouth stuffed with whatever food he was currently chewing on.
As they started walking away together, Sakura cast a brief glance behind them and saw the astonished looks on all of the young women's faces. She waved at them "cheerfully", flashing the sparkling gold wedding band on her left middle finger.
"Bitches." She mouthed silently at them and smirked as their jaws nearly dropped out of astonishment.
oOo
oOo
He opened his eyes to a dark room and he automatically looked at the silver-rimmed wall clock hanging across the wall.
5:43 a.m.
As usual, he woke up before 6 a.m. like a programmed robot. Sasuke got up and to his surprise, the space where Sakura slept was empty. Her own pillow and blanket were already neatly folded on top of one another. It meant that she had woken up earlier than him.
Unusual.
It was the first time she had ever woken earlier than him before. Unlike him, Sakura was more of a deep sleeper, especially for the past few months where her eating and sleeping hours have increased dramatically.
After washing his face, he went to the kitchen to make a cup of fresh tea, expecting to find her cooking breakfast. But the kitchen was empty. He went to the garden and found it sparse except for the withered grass and leaves on the ground. He could not sense her presence anywhere in the house, and even around the block of their neighbourhood.
Where is she?
His heart began to pound hard against his chest as unlikely images suddenly barraged his mind. Had she been taken in the middle of the night?
No, he thought rationally. He should have felt it. She was sleeping right beside him and knowing Sakura, she would not easily give in without a fight.
He needed to calm down. Realizing that he was standing immobile, Sasuke went to the kitchen counter and poured hot water into his porcelain mug and dunked in a teabag of what appeared to be black tea. The powder easily diffused into the hot water, turning the colorless liquid black.
Maybe she just went out to the market, or there's an emergency at the hospital.
What if he tried calling the hospital to check if she's there?
No. He turned down the idea immediately. They might think that he's being overprotective or something.
"She should have left a note..." Sasuke intoned with notable degrees of irritation.
There is nothing to be concerned for. She's probably just getting her weekly cravings.
Yet, his body seemed to be contradicting what he was trying to tell himself; his fingers had erupted in tiny tremors. "My hands are just frazzled from lack of sleep." Sasuke rationalized whilst he began to flex his fingers in the hopes that the jerky, minute spasms would stop before the convulsions became any worse.
6:10 a.m.
She'll be back before 7.
But what if she never returned? What if she just went to the market and on her way there— or even on her way back home—she was abducted by the unknown shinobi?
Preposterous, his rational mind contradicted. Konoha is a shinobi village and Sakura is more than just a "capable" kunoichi. She could handle herself had the need to arisen.
But she is pregnant. She wouldn't be able to fight properly because of her current condition.
6:15 a.m.
Sasuke sipped his black tea and closed his eyes to focus. He would wait until 7, and if she didn't turn up after that, he would go outside and try looking for her.
6:18 a.m.
Every now and then, he glanced fleetingly at the wall, and every time he did, he felt like the hands of the clock were moving slowly, making every passing minute seem like an hour had eclipsed without incident. To make the time more productive, Sasuke decided to cook some breakfast. Usually, every time he got up in the morning, he would just drink some coffee or tea, then proceed to the forest for some warm-up morning training, practicing his taijutsus and ninjutsus. After his exercise, he would go back to the apartment, only to find Sakura up from bed and waiting for him to join breakfast.
He knew how to cook because he had started living on his own the day the Uchiha clan was slaughtered. Through the years, he had learned how to cook better thanks to his late mother's recipe booklet which he found in one of the kitchen cabinets. Yet, he was more of a lazy cook who preferred fast and easy-to-make meals which required minimal ingredients, energy and time.
Turning on the stove, he adjusted the gas and placed a skillet pan atop the kindling flame when he felt her presence and heard the gates creaked open, announcing her company. He sighed inwardly, relief flooding his senses now that she was finally back. He heard her cheerful hum as she walked inside the house and showed up in front of him.
"Mornin' Sasuke," she greeted him merrily, taking a gulp of water. She filled the glass again and drank it straight without pausing, the bulk of passing liquid evident on her neck.
She seemed so thirsty. Furthermore, there were beads of perspiration on her forehead and neck, as if she engaged in some sort of strenuous activity.
"Where have you been?" Sasuke's voice was sharp and cutting as he demanded a solid explanation for her whereabouts.
Sakura's eyebrows shot up in surprise at this question, finishing her glass of water before answering. "I went out for some jogging—no, I mean, just some walking exercise."
Walking exercise?
Sakura took the skillet pan from him and started cooking. "You didn't go outside for your warm-up training?"
"I don't need to." He replied sharply, lying through his teeth as he watched the items in the pan being tossed around and flipped. One look in her direction and immediately Sasuke decided to further interrogate her. "Had it not occurred to you that you could very well be possibly attacked once you're alone?"
"Uh—"
"That we are yet to confirm and make certain that your 'unknown stalker' has really left you?"
"But—"
"That even here in Konoha you might not be safe?" He grilled mercilessly, his voice a rising an octave along with his turbulent emotions, the tone of anger clearly evident even to her.
Blinking in surprise, it took Sakura a few seconds to answer. "I just wanted to burn some excess fat off. And I'm sorry if I got you worried. But nothing bad happened to me, rest assured."
Sasuke watched the change of expression in her green eyes from surprise to that of something akin to softness and affection. It was as if she understood why he suddenly got angry, and was instead touched by the questions he had fired at her. She smiled at him and said in a joking intonation, "Sorry if I made you wet yourself with concern."
He caught the teasing tone in her voice and by the looks of it, she didn't even look remotely sorry with what she had done. And did he really look that worried to her? Is he becoming so attached to her physical presence that he wanted to see her all the time when he awoke in the mornings, and know her whereabouts whenever she left him?
An awkward minute of silence passed between.
He was not really used to dealing with these kinds of situations. It felt…uncomfortable and bizarre. His mind was telling him that his defences were starting to break down, an invisible barrier that he had set to protect his pride and ego. It reminded him of his goal of why he married her in the first place.
Yet, a part of him seemed intent on just going on with the flow of events and whatever he was feeling in the moment.
His rational part won, of course.
"I thought you'd be more responsible, Sakura." He deadpanned stonily. Sasuke knew that his next words would just hurt her, but he chose to continue with them anyway. "Remember that you're carrying an Uchiha heir."
oOo
oOo
"I guess we don't need any introduction, do we?" Tsunade smiled and gestured her manicured hands to the opposite party standing across from her desk. "Right, Uchiha?"
Sasuke nodded at the Hokage out of respect and gratitude for the pardon she had given to him six years ago, but inwardly, he wanted to wipe off that playful and mocking smirk on her red lips. It seemed to him that she was finding the situation quite interesting.
"What is she doing here?" Naruto asked. "I remember her face but not her name."
"She'll be joining your group for your next mission. She has a stock of very useful information and I believe her skills would be of help in your assigned assignment." The Godaime looked at Sasuke. "It gave me quite a hard time and some generous offers to get her to work for Konoha for this mission, so don't screw this up. Uchiha, why don't you to introduce her to Naruto?"
Sasuke eyed the woman across from him with a bland expression. He gave her a slight nod, acknowledging her presence and at the same time, a civil greeting. The bespectacled woman returned his respectful nod but it was obvious that she is slightly wary of him. "Naruto, this is Karin."
Naruto's blue eyes bulged and instantly shone as he remembered her. "I know you! You're Teme's former teammate!"
The red-head bespectacled woman smiled weakly as if it was the last thing she wanted to be remembered as. "Your Hokage has requested me specifically to work with the two of you on this special mission. It's an honor to be able to work with you, Uzumaki Naruto."
She outstretched a hand in an offer to shake with his.
Scratching the back of his blonde head in a stop-praising-me-but-I-like-it way, Naruto replied with a sheepish smile, "Nah, don't say that. I'm just a ninja with big dreams."
An honor to work with Naruto, but a nightmare to work with me. Sasuke thought mordantly.
Tsunade coughed conspicuously, instantly getting their attention as she gestured her red-painted nails impatiently to the door. "Take the empty room at the end of the hallway and plan for your mission. This is a high-profile espionage assignment and I expect utmost confidentiality from all of you."
The party left the room and trekked the wooden floor with Sasuke hanging behind them, putting as much distance as possible between himself and Karin, who was being entertained by Naruto. It was obvious by their encounter that she was quite apprehensive and distrustful of him. He could not blame her, though, because their last encounter had been quite—well, he couldn't put a word to it.
Back then, he didn't really want to kill her. Well, not particularly anyways. It was just that he felt he had no other choice. He wanted to kill Danzo so badly that he didn't care if ending her life was the cost for achieving his ultimate renewed goal—a little sacrifice was necessary for success, after all. He had also been consumed by his hatred and ecstasy after killing Danzo that he did not think twice when heeding Madara's advice to eliminate her completely so as not to leave any evidence.
"Sasuke! Naruto!"
Hearing Sakura's familiar voice, he turned around and found her ascending the stairs of the Hokage Tower, carrying a white hardbound book, which if he guessed right was her completed research work. It seemed that she was going to give it to the Hokage right now.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto ran and stopped in front of her, leaving Karin several feet behind them. "What's up?"
Sakura showed the hardbound book cover to him. "I've finished my research and I'm going to pass it to Tsunade-sama."
Naruto's nose crinkled. The blonde hated anything that was related with or to books, reading and studying. "That's great!" Note the lack of enthusiasm?
She turned her attention to Sasuke. "Another mission?"
He caught the longing in her voice; she would have eagerly joined them if her situation would only permit her. "Yes, we were given another mission."
"Then where's Sai?" Sakura asked, craning her neck to look past the tall men in front of her, searching for a pale-skinned ink-user who would have greeted her as the traditional "Hag" whenever they saw one another. Instead, she saw a familiar red-haired bespectacled woman hanging several feet behind Naruto and Sasuke. "Karin?"
Karin smiled awkwardly and nodded briefly at Sakura.
"She's our new teammate for this mission." Informed Naruto, as he beckoned Karin to introduce more about herself.
Karin walked towards her and stopped beside Naruto. "It's nice seeing you again, Haruno Sakura."
oOo
oOo
For unknown reasons, Sakura suddenly felt a stab of jealousy at Naruto's news that Karin would be their teammate for their next mission. Is it because the redhead had replaced her position as the female member of Team 7? But Sai had taken her place too, since she had fallen pregnant, and it didn't matter to her. Why was it that she was feeling envious now?
"She's no longer Haruno Sakura!" Naruto informed Karin enthusiastically. "She's already an Uchiha!"
Karin's maroon eyebrows shot upwards in surprise, sneaking a brief look at the expressionless Uchiha Sasuke, then at Sakura, then to her rounded abdomen. "Oh, I see; congratulations."
"Thank you." Sakura replied tersely, who noted that Karin's tone did sound genuinely surprised at the information.
"Why don't we have some lunch together at Ichiraku Ramen later?" Naruto suggested. He looked at Karin. "Ichiraku is the best resto here in Konoha!"
"No; thanks for the offer though." Declined Karin as if joining them for lunch is the last thing she wanted to do. "But I have other things to do."
"Okay," Naruto acquiesced reluctantly, quite disappointed that he was not able to persuade her to eat at his favourite ramen house. He turned to Sakura. "See you later, Sakura-chan. We still have a planning session to do."
Inwardly, Sakura felt quite happy that Karin did not wish to join them. Although it sounded pretty selfish of her, eating at Ichiraku Ramen had been their group's activity since Sasuke came back (and even before then as children), eating together whenever their schedules permitted them. Sometimes Kakashi and Sai would join them, but it was always the three of them.
It was something exclusively done by and for members of Team 7 only.
oOo
oOo
Ino twirled clockwise while keeping her eyes focused on the full-length mirror. "What do you think?"
"…"
"Hello, Sakura? Did you hear what I just asked?" Ino called out, jostling Sakura out of inattention.
Snapping out of her trance, Sakura turned around to see an irritated Ino. "I'm sorry?"
Sighing exasperatedly, Ino repeated her question. "I was asking for your opinion—if the dress looks okay on me."
"Oh!" Sakura gasped, suddenly embarrassed and ashamed that she had stopped paying attention to her best friend. She took a brief survey of her from head to toe and nodded in affirmation. "Yes, it's good on you."
Ino rolled her eyes as if Sakura didn't think thoroughly enough about it, and was just making up for her previous inattentiveness.
"Really! It brings out your eyes, Pig." Sakura defended stubbornly.
"Okay, I'll take this." Ino exclaimed to the saleslady.
The deep blue mini-skirt dress really did look good on the blonde. It was perfect on her. The halter dress hugged her body in the right places, her breasts, waist and buttocks.
She looks like perfect bombshell... Sakura admitted quietly to herself, quite jealous because here Ino was strutting in a mini-skirt, looking drop-dead gorgeous as always, and here she was, sitting in the cushions of the clothing store, looking like she had swallowed a whole watermelon.
"You've been zoning off into space a lot lately; care to share?" Ino asked as they left the boutique, carrying newly-purchased dresses and jewellery.
Thinking twice if she should share her troubled thoughts with the blonde that had a tendency to run off her mouth, Sakura did not speak immediately. Instead, she focused her attention to the lamp-lit road ahead of them. "Well, you remember Karin?"
"The red-head whom we treated at the hospital like five, six years ago?"
"Yeah." Sakura nodded glumly, scuffling along the pavers as her green eyes were drawn to everything and nothing.
"Why?"
"She's here in Konoha and was placed on a team along with Naruto and Sasuke for a special mission."
"Really?" Ino's blue eyes were as wide as saucers at this source of information. "Shikamaru didn't even tell me! I'll make him pay… Wait, she's Sasuke's former teammate , right? And he almost killed her back then."
"Yeah..." Sakura tilted her head in affirmation, sounding indifferent at the mention of their past. "But that's not what I'm concerned about."
"Oh!" Ino cried out triumphantly. "I knew it! I knew it! You're jealous of her!"
Kicking a stray pebble on the pavement, Sakura released a pent-up sigh. "Kinda. I feel like she's taking my place in the group as the female member of Team 7."
"Well, there's one more thing to be worried about." Said Ino with a knowing smile. "You're also jealous because she's having an opportunity to spend time with Sasuke."
"What? No! I don't feel the need to be jealous over someone like her!" Sakura retorted, arching her eyebrow at Ino's insinuation.
"Ah, pretty confident huh?"
"Yeah, because it's not in Sasuke's nature to cheat or flirt with women, let alone while he's married no less." Sakura exclaimed with certainty. "I'm sure Karin doesn't feel for him the way she supposedly did anymore; not after what he did to her. She was just here for the mission."
"And how can you be so sure, Forehead?" It was Ino's turn to raise an eyebrow at her. "You still loved Sasuke after what he did to you and Naruto."
"I-I'm different!"
"And you can't deny the fact that your dear husband is still very popular among the women, even if he's already married."
Sakura snorted at this statement, remembering the women who were trying to flirt with Sasuke at the village park just a week ago. They rounded a corner when she suddenly stopped in her tracks and flung her hands backwards to halt Ino.
"What?" The blonde medic questioned, confused at the rozen woman's bizarre antics.
"Shhhh!" Sakura pulled Ino and hid behind the wall they had just rounded. "Be quiet."
Sakura edged herself stealthily and peeked around the wall; Ino followed tout suite and smiled triumphantly after seeing what Sakura had been eyeing off so intently.
"Pretty confident, huh?" Ino sneered at her. "Then why are we spying on them?"
"Just shut up! I can't hear what they're talking about!" Sakura hissed at her.
"They're at the opposite end of the street; we won't be able to hear a word what they're saying!"
The two squinted against the dark surroundings, trying to see and hear what Naruto, Sasuke and Karin were talking about. It was more like Naruto showing Karin the village of Konoha, acting as some sort of a "tour guide" while Sasuke looked utterly bored watching them. After a few minutes, Sasuke seemed jaded enough, and just raised his hand as a sign that he was taking his leave.
"He's going home." Whispered Ino disappointedly. Disappointed because they were not able to find a single piece of relevant evidence that would support their Karin-wants-to-steal-Sasuke theory. "Naruto and Karin have walked away too."
"I can see too, Pig. You don't have to give a blow-by-blow account of what's happening." After making sure that Sasuke had indeed entered their house, Sakura decided to cut their activity. "There's nothing. Guess I'll just go home."
"Okay. Just give me a call if you need my help!" Ino tittered with a wink.
Sakura rolled her eyes and waved at Ino as she walked away from their pathetic attempt of a hiding place.
Ino strutted down on the street, thinking of what might be Karin's hidden agenda on why she agreed to work for Konoha of all the places. She hadn't gotten ten steps ahead when someone spoke from behind the shadows.
"What are you up to?"
"S-Sasuke!" Ino gasped, clutching her chest in surprise and fear. "You scared me! W-we thought you'd already gone home!"
"You're not answering my question." Sasuke snapped frostily. "What are you up to?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Ino answered, her voice wavering ever so slightly at his intimidating build and general aura; Kami did he terrify her!
"You and Sakura were hiding behind the street's corner a while ago." He stated bluntly (like he was spelling out something blatantly simple to a fool like Naruto), looking directly at her. He had never liked Yamanaka Ino, especially when he had been going through the phases of adolescence. She was a loud-mouthed imbecile that talked far too much for his liking, and was practically liberated of any faults and past mistakes. The incident when Sakura had gone out on a 'date' with another man just because Ino had suggested that it would be of no harm did not improve his opinion on her, either. "Whatever it is, don't mess with our lives, Yamanaka."
oOo
oOo
Invasion of privacy.
She knew that he would be angry with her once he found out about what she had been doing. But as long as she was discreet and careful about it, everything would be safe—she would be fine, and her relationship with Sasuke would not be impacted upon. Furthermore, what she's doing couldn't be really counted as spying, much as she was just, uhm…checking up on him.
"Really?" Inner Sakura piped in sarcastically.
Ignoring her alter ego, Sakura resumed looking through her binoculars. Being on the highest floor of the hospital provided her with good view of the Hokage's building. Through the half-open window of a room at the end of the third floor of the executive building, she could see Karin, Naruto and Sasuke perfectly. There was paper—maybe a map—that was spread out across the table, a jumbo bowl of ramen on Naruto's side and a pen in Karin's dainty hands. It seemed that they were planning for their mission tomorrow.
Again, she felt another stab of jealousy upon seeing them huddled together. It should be her, not Karin.
Finally, she removed the binoculars from her eyes and rubbed her temples. Squinting through a binocular for hours had put a lot of strain on her eyes. She placed the binoculars back on the table and decided to take a nap. After she had passed her research work on to Tsunade the other day, she was given two free days, without any work. She wanted to go to a nearby hot spring outside of the village with her husband and friends, but since everyone was busy with their work or missions, she was left on her own. So instead she decided to use her free time to keep an eye on her husband. Well, she was keeping more of an eye on Karin than anybody else. She had a funny feeling that Ino might be right that Karin had agreed to work in Konoha because she was going to be placed on a mission with Sasuke.
They might think that she is paranoid, but she believes that a woman's instinct is almost always right.
oOo
oOo
A sprawling map of the Earth Country was laid flat on the table, an X mark at the northeast part indicating the rumoured hideout of their target, and a few scattered thick black dots representing the allied forces of the enemies.
"But we will encounter a lot of forces there." Commented Karin with a frown; she had been the one who had supplied the numerous dots according to the information she had gathered several months ago on a separate assignment.
"So what? We can tackle them, easy!" Naruto exclaimed confidently, before taking a large slurp of ramen.
"Even though it is the shortest route, the number of enemy units would slow us down; thus, taking a toll on our time and energy." Interjected Sasuke. "I suggest we take this route." He suggested, pointing to a zigzag line indicating rugged terrain.
"But that would take us days!" Naruto objected, almost very nearly whining. "And what if there's no food supply in there?"
Sasuke nodded calmly, taking Naruto's point. The Land of Earth is mostly comprised of desolate, rocky areas which meant that they would have difficulty garnering food supplies. "We would pass through a town before we take the rugged terrain, and we would replenish our food supplies there. It would take us roughly three to four days to scale the whole topography on the east side. Our chance of encountering rebel forces is slim because they don't usually camp on desolate areas, where food and water is scarce."
"I guess he has a point..." Karin added thoughtfully, a look of solid concentration adorning her features. "The main camp is heavily guarded by A-rank to S-rank ninjas. We have to conserve chakra in case the battle gets rough."
"Ah! Okay, I get the point, you two win!" conceded Naruto, raising his hands in surrender. Yet, as he did so, he accidentally knocked the bowl of ramen sitting on his right, causing it to topple side down on the table, spilling the broth and all of its contents.
Sasuke immediately seized the map off of the table. The top edge of the map was the only part drenched, yet it was his clothes that took the brunt of the repulsive spillage.
"Oops! Gomen!" Naruto hastily apologized and scooped up the ramen bowl.
"You really are a dobe, aren't you?" Sasuke spat vehemently, his shirt and vest drenched and reeking of a mixture of noodles, meat and vegetables.
"I'll just get you a shirt!" Naruto filled in quickly, before Sasuke got any ideas to become more violent in his angered state. Without waiting for Sasuke to speak another word, Naruto disappeared in a thick cloud of white smoke, leaving the raven haired Uchiha and Karin alone.
oOo
oOo
Getting bored with reading magazines, Sakura decided to check up on Sasuke again. She picked up her binoculars and glided the leather-bound swivel chair to the open window. It took her a few seconds to focus the binoculars, and when she finally got the image she was looking for, she saw something not suited to her taste.
At all.
Sasuke and Karin were alone inside the room; Naruto was gone. There was no sign of the hyperactive knucklehead, which only kindled her suspicions further. It seemed to her that the two were talking about something serious. Naruto was not around so it couldn't be about their mission, right? Were they reminiscing about their past as former teammates of Team Taka? When Karin was interrogated several years ago, she said that she had no idea what had happened to their other two members—Juugo and Suigetsu—after the clash at the Land of Iron; whether the two survived it or not was a complete and utter mystery.
Sakura started to gnaw on her bottom lip. It was childhood habit of hers whenever she was feeling nervous or distressed.
Time to call Ino.
Keeping her left hand steady on the binoculars, Sakura reached out for the telephone and quickly dialled the number she knew only as the Yamanaka Flower Shop's. In the morning, Ino was the one managing the shop, and in the afternoon till night, she was usually at the hospital working as a medic.
The cord of the telephone was stretched just enough for Sakura to maintain her position at the window. The phone rang three times before someone answered. She immediately recognized Ino's voice.
"Ino! You've got to help me!"
"Sakura? Why, what happened?" Ino asked concernedly.
"I think Karin's flirting with Sasuke!" Sakura almost very nearly shrieked in alarm. "I need you to help me!"
"Oh." Was all Ino said.
"Hello, Ino-Pig?" Sakura called out, quite surprised with the lack of expression on Ino's part.
"Uhm, Sakura?" The blonde spoke slowly, enunciating very carefully as if explaining something to a petulant child. It was as if she was weighing down her words with an attained level of caution that Sakura didn't she had ever had before now. "I think you're just overanalyzing things, you know?"
"No!" Why can't Ino understand? "The two of them are ALONE inside a ROOM at the admin building! Do you understand? JUST THE TWO OF THEM!"
"Maybe they're just planning for their mission?"
"Why only the two of them then, huh? Naruto's not even around!"
"Sakura, relax." Coaxed Ino soothingly. "You can't count talking as flirting when you don't even know what they're talking about."
"But—" She placed the binoculars on her lap in a somewhat resigned manner.
"Stop stressing yourself with inconsequential things, alright?"
"Uhm, okay...?" Sakura replied, hesitance evident in her meek tone.
"There's a customer, I'll meet you for lunch at the hospital's cafeteria and we'll talk about it. Is that alright with you?"
"Okay…"
"Good. See you later, Forehead," said Ino. "Bye."
After Ino hung up, Sakura was left wondering what had happened with her best friend. Just a few nights ago, Ino was the one telling her that she's just around if she needed any help and was bent on supporting her against Karin. Now, it's as if Ino didn't believe in their Karin-wants-to-steal-Sasuke theory anymore.
Gliding towards the window, Sakura perched her elbows on the window sill and cradled her chin to her palms. She looked at the red-tiled roof of the Hokage's Mansion, the most noticeable edifice in Konoha aside from the Hokage Monument, where the faces of the previous and present Kages were carved.
She sighed despondently. No matter how reassuring Ino's words may have been, she was still quite agitated. Something was telling her that she would only be calmed if she was certain that nothing bizarre was going on between the pair. If nothing's really going on, she would throw away the binoculars and resume other worthwhile activities.
Again, she picked them up and zoomed it into focus. Sasuke and Karin were leaving the room by the time Sakura got the right focal angle. This left her with an empty room. She tried to follow the two by looking at the adjacent windows on same floor, yet the other windows were obscured by blinds or curtains, making it difficult for her to see if the two were still inside.
Where are they?
Then, she saw something black and red exit the administration building. She adjusted the central focusing barrel of her binoculars, which was used to modify the focal point of both lenses simultaneously, and found out that the two figures were Sasuke and Karin indeed.
Karin was walking a few feet ahead of Sasuke; Sasuke, in turn, was following her lead, or it could be that he was just purposely hanging behind to make it look like that they weren't walking together. The two turned left, left again, then veered to the right. Karin and Sasuke passed three more blocks, turned right once more, and stopped at a series of complex apartments. Karin knocked while Sasuke leaned against the opposite wall, expressionless. Then, the redhead simply pushed the door open, said something to Sasuke and together, the two entered inside.
What the—?
"Did you see that?" Inner Sakura piped in incredulously. "Did you see that? They entered an apartment, and it's just the two of them! Just the TWO of them!"
"Maybe they just went to get something." Sakura argued back.
"Then why not just leave Karin to collect the alleged 'item'? Sasuke didn't need follow her!" Inner Sakura shot back.
"Just wait a minute!" Sakura exclaimed hotly. "Just what are you insinuating?"
"Hey, I'm not just the one insinuating. You have been suspicious all along too, and we are one being, remember?"
"But it's just absurd!" Sakura cried in alarm. "It's not in Sasuke's nature to…to flirt or cheat."
"But Sasuke is like any other man with physical needs too." Inner Sakura piped up chirpily. "A willing woman is very hard to resist; especially to a tempted man."
"Are you saying that Sasuke is attracted to that woman?"
"They have been teammates too, remember? And Karin had helped him an awful lot back then. It could be possible."
Biting her lower lip, Sakura lowered the binoculars and paced back and forth inside her cramped office space.
No, she told herself. The idea is just ridiculous. Ino is right. She must be overanalyzing the situation, blowing trivial things way out of proportion.
She peeked again through the binoculars. They haven't left there yet. What's taking them so long inside?
An hour passed and she still kept her eyes glued to the binoculars like what she had learned during ANBU tracking and assassination missions.
Then, another hour passed.
She squirmed in her seat. What's taking them that awfully long inside that damned apartment?
"Don't just sit here, fool!" Inner Sakura barked at her. "DO SOMETHING!"
Sakura stood up and clutched the binoculars hard against her palms. Yes, she needed to do something because she just couldn't stay cooped inside a room worrying to death. She has to be certain if something is actually going on.
The scorching heat of the afternoon sun did not dampen Sakura's spirits. It only added to the fury she was currently feeling at the moment. People walking by her stared at her curiously but none of them dared to ask her why she seemed to be in an awfully foul mood; not unless they wished for an untimely death as her response. It did not take her long to reach the series of similar-looking apartments. She stopped in her tracks as she recognized the door to which Sasuke and Karin had entered two hours earlier.
"This is Naruto's apartment..." She whispered breathily to herself.
"Maybe Karin did say something to Naruto so that she could have Sasuke all alone then." Inner Sakura suddenly hypothesized. "Then, she led Sasuke here saying that they needed to get something from Naruto, and they were all alone and she started flirting and taking off—"
"Shut up!" Sakura whispered to herself. "You are so not helping things!"
She immediately pushed open the door and spotted Sasuke at the dining table, who to her surprise, was wearing a new shirt and looked like he had just showered. On the other hand, Karin was brushing her hair in front of the mirror and at the same time, pleating the creases on her clothing.
"Sakura, what are you doing here?" Sasuke asked calmly, but there was the unmistakable tone of surprise in his voice.
"Oh. Hi." Was all Karin said.
"What the—" Inner Sakura cursed heavily. "Did they just finish MAKING LOVE with another?"
Sakura ignored Inner Sakura's ramblings as she suddenly felt the room become blurry as her eyes narrowed and fixated on the red haired bespectacled woman standing a few feet away from her. A fiery heat surged through her veins and flowed throughout her body and she felt her knuckles flex involuntarily. Images barraged her mind: Sasuke and Karin naked, kissing each other lips and making wild love.
And she felt something inside her broke down, and a rush of unmistakable fury poured out. It was driving her crazy.
"HOW COULD YOU!" She shouted at them. Sasuke and Karin looked at her in stunned confusion.
"Sakura, what are you—"
Sakura ignored Sasuke and glared at Karin with pure malleable malice.
Slowly, Sakura started to walk towards her. "HOW DARE YOU!"
She pointed an accusing finger at her, before screaming at the top of her lungs, "I SAVED YOUR LIFE, YOU SLUT!"
And everything just slipped out of her control from that point onward.
oOo
A/N: Thank you for reading! PLEASE REVIEW! It encourages me to keep going on despite my schedule X P
To Sasukeluva 4eva: Thank you for correcting my grammatical errors, punctuation errors etc. You're such a big help!
So guys, what are you, Team Sakura or Team Karin?
Keep posted!