Stand By Me

Chapter 16 - Decode

''The thuth is hiding in your eyes, and its hanging on your tongue, just boiling in my blood. But you think that I cant see...what kind of man that you are - if you're man at all. Well I'll figure this one out...on my own.''

Two more days passed. Two more days of no news. Zip, ziltch, nada.

It was driving her insane. Was there any improvement to Naruto's vitals? Was his body accepting or rejecting the Kyuubi?

Sakura rolled over in bed. Sleep just wasn't coming tonight, and oh wonderful. The sun was rising. She groaned into the pillow and decided to get up. No use lying in bed when she could be training.

Sakura yawned and stretched before she headed to the door and threw it open, but she stopped half way out.

Sasuke was in the hall, also heading for the bathroom.

His eyes went from her to the bathroom before he shrugged and with a 'this is my house' glare, he entered the bathroom.

Fuck. Not a morning person.

''Yeah! Good morning to you too, Sasuke.'' she called and slammed her door loud enough for him to hear before she flopped back down on the bed. Fuck him, what happened to 'ladies first'?

Well now he'd wait until after her shower for breakfast. Hmph.

But her plan was foiled.

''Im leaving.'' he said through her door a short while later. Sakura scrambled to get up and open the door. He was holding a granny smith apple in his hand.

''To where?''

His gaze told her it was none of her business.

Sakura sighed. ''OK. When will you be back...?''

''Today.'' he said curtly, nodding once and turning away. She listening to his heavy footsteps, until they were out the door. Sakura sighed heavily and ran a hand through her hair. Hell.

She shook her head and entered the bathroom.

x-x-x-x-

She made a quick breakfast, putting Sasuke's in containers for him for later before she went out to the beach to train. She pushed herself hard again. The cold set into her bones and she wondered if it was around christmas time yet. It would be her first christmas away from home.

She stopped. What a selfish thought. She didn't even have a home. And she'd just buried her fellow villagers who would never see christmas again.

She closed her eyes and shook her head as a frigid wind blew over her.

Sakura shivered, the wind continued to grow stronger, whipping her hair around her. Her teeth clattered together and she decided to retreat inside until the wind died down.

Sakura shut the back door with a bang and locked it. Then she went through the house, making sure all the windows were locked before she grabbed a blanket and went to the living room. It was around lunch time now. She wasn't hungry, but finally she was tired. Sakura settled into the pillows on the sitting couch and drifted off.

x-x-x-x-

When Sakura surfaced, Itachi was pacing. She watched him go back and forth, an expression of intense concentration on his face. Without bothering him, she sat down of the grass, watching him...worry? Uchiha Itachi was worried.

''Hey...?''

He stopped and turned to her. ''Sakura- you-'' he stopped, his words getting cut off.

Sakura frowned and got up. ''Hey, are you ok?''

''I can't...I can't tell you!''

''Tell me...what?''

His mouth snapped shut again and he let out a whispered curse.

''Something is going to happen. That's all I can say.''

''You-...what? How do you know?''

''I...heard it.'' he grimaced, obviously waiting to say more.

''Well, how about you show me whats gonna happen, I can go back and change it.''

He shook his head. ''You're not dead, Sakura. It doesn't work that way.'' the frustration in his voice became severely palpable.

''You are an anomaly in this world. There's only so much you can get involved in.''

Sakura's face paled. Just how serious was this... ''What is it...? Is it bad?''

''He-'' his voice seemed to be cut off.

Sakura's gut turned with worry. ''Will it happen soon?''

''Within a few hours.'' he confirmed. At least he could say that much.

Sakura went still and cold. Sasuke...Sasuke hadn't returned yet. He didn't tell her where he went...

Oh Kami...please let it not be him. Itachi was this worked up...oh Kami...

Sasuke-kun...

x-x-x-x-

Sasuke returned just as the sun went down. He found Sakura asleep on on of the couches in the sitting room. Had she been waiting for him?

Sasuke blinked and shook his head. He silently dropped the pile of wood on the floor and got a fire going in the fireplace.

In the kitchen, he found the food Sakura had prepared for him and he ate quickly. It was cold, but he couldnt complain since it didnt taste all that bad.

When he returned, he lifted her from the couch, sitting her closer to the fire. Her skin was cold to the touch and he frowned, watching her turn to the fire.

Sasuke's eyes flicked to the window, movement outside making him still. Small white flakes were falling from the sky. Snow. It gave the night a foggy, hazy look and Sasuke visibly relaxed. There was no threat for the time being. He sat down.

His eyes turned back to the flames in the fire place. They pulled him in, they heat and light they cast upon the dark room.

Sakura's deep and even breathing should have annoyed him, but it had the opposite effect...he found that it soothed him.

He turned to look at her. She was asleep under a thick blanket. Her body was slightly turned to him, one arm unconsciously laid towards him, palm up, fingers slightly curled up, the other - thrown over her wide forehead, casting a shadow over her eyes and her dark eyelashes. Her lips were parted and she breathed softly. He found himself...relaxed by her presence.

Sasuke swallowed, his eyes trailing down her arm. Small scars - thin white cuts, some of them he'd put there himself...others she'd gotten in various battles. Her hands looked soft, more of the same scars covered her fingers.

Sasuke made his decision recklessly and slowly trailed his index finger over her smallest finger. Her hand twitched and his eyes grew wide, flicking to her face, but she was fast asleep. He took a silent breath and trailed his finger over her next finger, he pressed the pad of his finger into her's and she reached out, her hand curling around his. Sasuke frowned and pulled his hand free. She reached out once more before she settled back in. Sasuke knew he should stop and usually he could exercise perfect control over himself, but now he was distracted by her wrist. How could something that looked so small and fragile pack such a punch. The thought amused him but only to a degree, since he'd been on the receiving end of her strength once or twice more than he'd admit. His finger traced the blue veins that were visible through her pale skin. It was surprisingly...warm.

He moved closer to her face. Watching the almost non-existent movement of her lower lip as she breathed. How strands of pink hair had become stuck to her lips...

The rosy blush on her cheeks reminded him of the day he'd met her...how he'd enjoyed making her uncomfortable. How she'd squirmed. He was such a brat back then.

He could remember the first time he met her. It was the first day at the Academy back in Konoha. Of course he'd seen her before. The shy girl with the pink hair that hung out with Yamanaka Ino.

They'd entered the grounds of the Academy, he'd seen her look around, for their other friends, when her eyes met his. She'd looked completely shocked, and Ino had noticed them and had grudgingly brought Sakura over.

''Ne, Sasuke-kun,'' Ino said with a little smile. ''This is my friend, Haruno Sakura.''

Sakura's eyes had flipped to his again. Her eyes were...green. Like apples, but not the sweet kind, the sour kind he liked.

''Sakura?'' he asked, testing the name on his tongue. She'd jumped at the mention of her name and blushed furiously.

''I-Its nice to meet you...Sasuke...-kun.''

He'd smirked. ''Yeah, you too, Sa-ku-ra.'' she gasped and squirmed.

Of course, soon after, girls just weren't important anymore. They all faded to the background, became annoyances.

Sasuke sighed. His hand reached out to her, thinking he was going to move the hair from her face...instead his fingertips brushed the fine, feather soft hairs of her thick, long lashes. The softest thing he was sure to have ever felt.

Her lids fluttered but she didn't wake.

He wondered why he didn't care, when she was awake he would never touch her like this, and yet...now that she was asleep...

Her chest expanded as she gave a contented sigh.

He watched her for another heartbeat before he turned away, back to the flames. Forcing himself to forget what he'd just done and repeating that it would not be a repeated offence.

x-x-x-x-

Sakura came awake with a start just as the sun was rising, she breathed in deeply, a strange worry weighing heavily on her.

Sasuke was sitting to her left, watching her with disinterested eyes.

''You're back!''

He nodded slowly. ''I have news.''

''Bee woke up. His body accepted the Hachibi.''

Sakura nodded, trying to ignore the urge to throw up. ''And...Naruto?''

It felt like an eternity before he smirked. ''He's on his way here now.''

She let out a squeal and before she could stop herself she was on Sasuke, squeezing him to her in a powerful hug.

''I was so worried...'' she whispered into his neck, relief clouding her better judgement.

When he shifted beneath her, Sakura froze. As if realizing what she'd been doing. She stumbled away from him but he was up before she took her next breath, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to him. For a heartbeat, he stared into her eyes and then his lips met her's...and she was utterly at his mercy. His lips moved against hers, slowly, as if getting the feel of kissing. She'd never been kissed like this, never felt so many sensations at once. His lips moved, pulling her bottom lip between his and nibbling almost gently. She arched against him, her hands finding his hair and pulling him closer.

In another 3 seconds, he pushed her away.

''That...needs to stop.'' he was slightly breathless and she stared at him in shock.

''Then...stop doing it.'' she whispered and then practically ran from the room. Kami, she was...mortified. He kissed her and then he tells her that needs to stop...it made no sense!

She ran her bath as she paced around feeling jittery and trying desperately not to to think of the kiss and yet...oh fuck...Sasuke kissed her. It hadn't been her, or curiosity or some sake or spice...he'd kissed her. It was all him.

Oh Kami, her lips tingled. She stripped quickly and went to the mirror. Her bottom lip was red and puffy from where he'd...sucked on it. She blushed at the thought and shook her head, going over to the tub and sinking in.

''That...needs to stop.'' his voice echoed in her head and she sunk lower into the tub. He'd kissed her...so he was saying...what?

She dragged a wet hand over her face and shook her head. She'd just confront him when she got out of the bath. She'd corner him where he couldn't run and find out what's what.

She bathed quickly, enjoying the hot water on her skin before she pulled the plug and stood up. She leaned over and grabbed the towel, holding it in front of her body as she set one foot outside the tub - when the door slammed open. Sasuke stood there, looking confused as hell, but his expression changed when he saw her. Sakura gasped her wet foot turning on the tile as she attempted to hide herself, making her turn and slip. The towel fell to the floor below her...but she didn't.

Sasuke caught her.

She was suspended, one foot on the edge of the tub, the other on the floor while Sasuke held her up.

She stared up at him. His eyes stared into hers and then moved down to her lips, utter control in them.

They drifted lower. ''Sasuke..-kun...'' she said breathlessly, unsure if it was a plea or a beg. His eyes drifted from her neck to her chest...her breasts, that peaked and hardened under his gaze.

He let out hiss and then...he was gone! She fell to the floor, onto the towel, her hands hesitantly going to cover herself.

She just sat there for a while, completely confused and...aroused, for the noticeable first time. With a deep breath, she tied the towel around herself and went to her room. Pulling on her clothes in a daze.

x-x-x-x-

Sasuke paced around outside, hoping told cold air would do something to this problem.

''Shit.'' he muttered. ''Fuck...fuck!'' what a fucking mess. What the fuck just happened?

His fingers twitched. He'd felt the scar on her side. God, he hated himself.

But, she was so...incredible.

Nothing like him.

Suddenly, he noticed the air shift and he spun around, hand going to his Katana. His body went cold.

''YOU!'' he spat.

''Nice to see you too.'' Tobi spoke casually. ''Since you stabbed me in the back and all.'' he waved his hand in the air with a shrug.

''Obviously I didn't do a good enough job since you're still here.'' Sasuke said, seriously.

Sakura's scream echoed from the house and into Sasuke's ears and he made a dive to go into the house but Tobi's kunai stopped him. ''Sakura!'' he called. No answer. ''Sakura!''

''Don't worry about her, I'll be taking good care of her.''

''How did you find me?'' Sasuke demanded, his ears ringing. Fuck, Sakura...be ok.

''I've always known you were here. I let you think you were undetected so I could keep you within reach at all times, and once I'd learned you had Sakura...you just made my life so much easier.''

The silence in the house made Sasuke near-crazy.

''I've found him!''

A figure dropped from the roof of the house and stood between Sasuke and Tobi.

It was Hyuuga Hinata.

''Nice job, Hinata!'' there was a bark, and then Kiba joined her, and wordlessly Shino joined them.

''Neji's team are circling from the other side.'' Kiba said, with a grin.

''Hyuuga,'' Sasuke called.

She seemed shocked that he'd spoken, but slowly jumped back to where he was. ''Sakura is alone inside the house, she screamed a few seconds ago...''

Hinata was inside before he finished his sentence.

''Until another time, Sasuke.'' Tobi did his disappearing act and Kiba cursed.

''I thought we had him!''

''Shes not here!'' Hinata called frantically.

Sasuke ducked inside the house and went into Sakura's room.

A Shadow mask lay cracked on the floor...but that wasn't what Sasuke was staring at. There was blood...and scratch marks into the wood.

Kiba pushed Sasuke out of the way and sniffed the blood.

''Whats going on? Where is Madara?'' Neji's voice drifted through the house and Hinata left the room to fill him in.

''Its not her blood.'' Kiba said. A frown on his face.

''What? Where was Sasuke?'' Neji's raged to Hinata and Kiba sighed looking up at Sasuke. Who's face remained emotionless.

''Don't worry, man. We'll get her back.''

''Im not worried.'' Sasuke snapped.

''You can keep the act up if you want, but you can't hide what you're feeling. I can smell it.'' Kiba tapped his nose and passed Sasuke, to join the others.

Neji was shaking his head, pacing. ''What a mess!''

''Whats going on?''

All heads whipped to the door. Naruto stood on the threshold, the whisker-like scars back in place. Looking much like his old self. ''Hinata?...Neji? Kiba?...you guys are...''

''We'll explain everything later.'' Neji said, his voice distracted.

Naruto looked around, trying to figure out what exactly was wrong with this picture.

He frowned. ''Where's Sakura-chan?''

''Do you see...what we've done? We've gone and made such fools...of ourselves.''

Quick update, yup!

Please review! I received so little reviews for the previous chapter:( why why why?

Aiyaaa!

Zana-Lee

xoxo