Finally got the time from college-studies and working hours to watch Game of Thrones. I only got to the fifth episode of the first season, but I am liking it so far ^-^ Special surprise for the lovely ImmaPiratte, that lovely sweetie, who has been telling me about this series for a while and I never got the chance to actually watch it until now (I was up until three in the morning watching it, while working on a project, so I hope that effort it something :3).
Thanks to those who are lovers and haters of this story, and even those who don't really care about this story. All your energy into reading my story is worth it and I praise you all for that -rolls- This chapter is all for you wonderful people ono... I'm sorry that my cupcakes didn't make it to you all fresh and yummy, so I will continue to bake on weekends in my tiny kitchen and send them to you through my computer xD Oh, I'm going to have loads of fun!
(ps, Kitty placed a tumblr account on her profile, so feel free to message me there or anything c: I've had people ask me for it, and so now it is presentable!)
Please feel free to sit back, relax and enjoy this chapter. And please feel free to leave a Review, Follow Favorite or do nothing c: Anything that you do to make yourself happy will make Kitty a happy person, so make yourself happy today! Enjoy!
=xxx=
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Fire burns Earth; Earth dries Water; Water drowns Fire.
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Love leads to Want; Want becomes Pain...
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Pain leaves itself to turn into Reality.
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Something made this and something will end it altogether.
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Just like how one is born into the world and it will someday die...
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As of my life, I certainly won't fall to that Higher Power's rule.
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Tasting Flesh
Chapter Sixteen
Sakura slept soundly, falling to her own world of a dream that she could tell was meant to tell her a story; a story that takes place in winter, and she is young again. Whether she is a child or not, she did not know or care. All she wanted at this point was to find something fun to remember about Sasuke, like in the past times she has slept and found memories peeking through the little holes of her barriers... To be honest, she was rather excited to find out on what she and her Sasuke-kun did in the past that made her so happy, so that she may tell him and let him and his parents know that she has not given up on the relationship she once shared with this mysterious creature that she was suppose to assume as her groom.
As of right now, it was snowing very gently, and the sun was not present in the sky. Sakura concluded that it was either very cloudy or it was night-time, and so she found this to something more interesting due to the other memories she can take on were in the daylight. She turned her head, looking to see if her 'younger self' was in control... It was not.
"Sakura."
Emerald eyes snapped to the other side to see Rin, clad in her same red cloak, standing only a small reach away; her brown eyes wide with fear and stress as her pale face tightened on instinct to react. Sakura smiled, thinking that Rin would be breakdown because Sakura did not intend to be here with her, so she tried to comfort her past life.
"Rin-chan," Sakura reached to touch Rin's shoulder gently in greeting, "do you want to come with me and see what this dream is-?"
"Leave."
Sakura retracted her hand, blinking in mere confusion. "Huh? Ne, Rin-chan, what's wrong?" Sakura pressed in a slight whisper as Rin's head snapped in different directions in miliseconds - like a possessed body of a paranormal-being - and the sound of her own whimpers ghost through the stilled setting of the frozen land. This alarmed Sakura to take a step back as Rin stopped herself by grabbing each side of her short hair as opened her mouth to let out a silent scream, her pupils dialating.
"Rin?" Sakura called out, her heart starting to pound. "Rin, calm down! This is only a memory, right? Is it your memory?"
"Memory, memory, memory..." Rin's voice called out like the wind without moving her own lip, reminding Sakura of their first encounter in the past. Rin's head snapped down, hanging loosely as her whole body swayed like a mentally unstable person. "This memory... Our memory... My mistake and yours..."
"Rin..." Sakura nibbled her bottom lip as she daringly marched forward and took the chance to wrap her arms around her ghost, her conscience and advisor, trying to hug her in the best comfort Sakura knew how. Once she laced her arms around the young woman, she soon disappeared from her grasp, causing Sakura to pull back once more to see a pathway that was blocked by Rin's solid form. There, as Sakura saw right away, she witnessed a small form with pastel hair walking straight; hands hanging from the sides as the short legs raised up high to step over the thick snow...
Sakura was now watching herself, instead of being in first-person view.
Out of the the wind of winter and Rin's cries, Sakura was pushed by natures force in a quick motion to stand side-by-side of her youngerself, noticing instantly on how blank and lifeless she looked in her youthful face: not wearing a coat or blanket to keep the harsh wind from frosting her skin (as it was displaying on the child's cheekbones and turning her lips into a blueish hue). When she looked to her own eyes, Sakura found no sparkle of childish mischief or the usual emerald coloring that was now a dark and cold green, as if ice frost over it themselves.
Hesitant at first, Sakura tried to touch her own face of the past, but soon found it useless as she became transparent when in skin-contact, and the child continued on down the path. Confused by this, Sakura was about to follow herself when everything stopped.
The wind. Rin's echoing voice. The body of her childhood standing still from what looked like to be miles away by now... The sky suddenly darkened to a chilling black, swarming over the trees and ground and Sakura as it reached over toward the small child, who was now reaching up to her toes and her fingers outstretched to an unseen being. The sillouette was tall, dark and had pure white eyes as it glanced down to the small child.
On the natural instinct, Sakura opened her mouth and screamed, "Stop!"
Just as her voice released from her mouth, the dark shadow slowly, in the most eerie way, looked up to Sakura, the sound of her own heartbeat pounding in her ears and-
Splash!
Hot, sticky liquid splattered across Sakura's skin and clothes, staining and itching into her skin as she raised her palms to see the thick, dark red liquid ooze, dripping from her fingertips at a slow pace. Sakura stared in horror as she examined herself, finding no open wound of anykind upon her flesh, her breathing quickened as tears swelled in her eyes and started pouring out like a broken glass filled with salty water. Fear was consuming Sakura, and she all but wanted to continue on with this dream- this nightmare!
Out of the blackness, two pale, shaking hands reached and held Sakura's face in the most gentle way, feeling the sudden heat that was all too familiar and unfamiliar at the same time; her eyes darted up to see Sasuke's lifeless eyes peering down to her as his thumbs carressed her cheekbones. From the corners of his mouth, red trails of blood spilled when his lips parted for him to speak to her, but no voice came out as only bubbling gurgles and more red poured from his lips.
"S-Sasuke-k-ku...n?"
Everything was feeling real, and she could even reach up to hold his wrists at a tightening grip as her eyes trailed to his chest, witnessing the lacerations of claws and black thorns embedded into his bleeding flesh. With every breath he took, it seemed to have pained him more as his shoulders heaved up and down and his head swayed drunkly. Sakura shivered, feeling his touch shaking on her cheeks.
"Sasuke-kun... S-S-!"
Shhhh...
Sakura's head snapped up to see the black shadow looming behind Sasuke's paleing form, pale eyes starring into Sakura's soul as claw-like hands reached around to grab Sasuke's hair and pull his head back, her man's face strained only little as numbness took over his whole body.
Shhhhh... It will only hurt for only a second...
"N-no...No!" Sakura cried out, trying to reach up and push the shadow away, but Sasuke's hands gripped her shoulders to hold her back as a tired smirk stretched to his sickly face. "Sasuke-kun! No!"
And soon... A claw ripped right through Sasuke's chest, causing the Demon God's eyes to widen and his jaw to drop in shock, twisting around and causing snapping noises of tearing muscle and bones. Oh-so-soon, my darling Flower...you will be mine.
In Sakura's hands, as it was placed by force of the black shadow, a pumping organ that has her taken two hands for her to hold; a squelching noise was made when her grip tightened a little around it and hot, boiling blood poured out from the chambers and dripped off her pale hands, staining her clothes as she cried out in pure fear and horror of what she was holding.
Sasuke's heart.
Everything seemed to have become thick: the air was nothing but a poisonous stench of blood, the way her vision looked around blurred as if it was raining on her eyes or if she was drunk on a heavy substance; her touch was numbing, only the feeling of the heart beating in her palms was the only actual touch she could sense. Her tears poured out, her lips parted as she tried to call out to Sasuke, who was still infront of her, that she knew, and suddenly yelped when Sasuke's forehead gently pressed to hers.
It was such a cold, cold feeling of his dying body touching her lively one, his pointed nose graced against her temple and slowly trailed down to her thin neck. His blue mouth gently pressed in a leisured kiss, causing Sakura to squirm in agony of the chilling touch that felt so horrible, but so good at the same time... His mouth found her pulsepoint, pressing a cold kiss there too before his cracked voice went on to drown in his blood that spit out of his mouth by the handfuls and fell down Sakura's body like a small waterfall, and her body was the rocks.
"Saaak...raaaa..." Sasuke's voice gurgled against her skin as his lips continued to leave shaking kisses that made Sakura shiver in fear but flush at the same time. This all felt real, and this was the real Sasuke touching her like this. Her emotions clashing together with reality to imaginary.
His bleeding mouth moved up, staining her cheek as he coughed. Slowly, Sakura's eyes closed like a butterfly's wing as he kissed her cheek, under her eye and then lips trailing down the bridge of her nose. She reopened her eyes to find his skin ghostly-pale, almost a pale, pale blue, his hair sticking to his skin as his eyes stood out in the most amazing red color with black commas swirling. Blood stained his chin and jaw, and it continued to drip like thick syrup.
"S-Sa...su-ke..." Sakura hiccuped as another layer of tears fell from her eyes, and his softened in appreciation and tiredness. "Why..?"
He smirked. He had fangs sticking from his lips as he leaned closer, his mouth only a pinch away from her own. His hands left her shoulders, fingers carressing down the sides of her body, slowly losing warmth in the process, causing Sakura to shiver and let out a gasp when he barely touched her breasts. Instead, he reached for her hands, covering them with his much larger once and pressed them together; the heart Sakura held convulsed and spasmed in her hold and quickened its heartbeat to an impossible rate, echoing around them as Sasuke spoke in a deep, sultry voice...as if he was never harmed in the first place.
"Because...my heart belongs to...you..."
"Sakura!" Rin's voice plummeted the heartbeat as living hands grabbed her head, causing a pain in her own head.
"As your heart...belongs to me..." Sasuke groaned in what sounded like arousal as he choked on his blood.
Sakura's eyes were covered by Rin's petite hands as cold ones started to roam to her upper body, feeling around her speeding heartbeat. Sakura was drowning in a long ringing noise, although she did hear what Sasuke had to say last before Rin forcifully pulled her away.
"Die with me... Sakura..."
"No!" Sakura screamed as she sat up, her eyes pouring all her frightened emotions out as she clung to her own chest, feeling no sticky blood, or the pumping organ she was holding in her mem- No, it was a nightmare! Sakura wailed outloud as she shook into the corner of wherever she was, huddling herself and hugging her chest; all sweaty and in shock, emerald eyes locked with pale-lavender ones.
"Sakura..?" Hinata blinked as she retracted her hand into her own chest. From what Sakura could understand, Hinata either was trying to wake her up or feel her forehead. Eyebrows furrowed in great worry as the pregnant Demon turned on the lantern to a dimmed setting before getting to the edge of the futon bedding Sakura was placed on, keeping her distance for safety. "S-Sakura-chan, are you a-alright..?"
Sakura couldn't speak. She only sobbed and breathed at an unhealthy tone of gasps as she continued to shiver from the cold of her sweat forming upon her skin and her dress clinging to her like a second-skin, she was not in a good state, she knew. Burying her face into her knees and cried out as her body shook; one hand gripping the bedding until her knuckles turned white.
"Y-you fell asleep at the table after dinner, Sakura-chan..." Hinata spoke gently over Sakura's sobs, staying back to give the girl space. "Sasuke-sama asked for me and Naruto to watch over you for the night, and give the Yamanakas a room. You are in a room right next to mine and Narutos', and I heard you panting i-in your s-sleep... Are you feeling i-ill, Sakura-chan? Shall I get you some water?"
Sakura peeked to Hinata, still afraid to find out which was reality or not, she only whimpered out in pure misery as she tried to dry her own eyes. With that, Hinata crawled over at a slow pace and placed her hands on Sakura's knees, slowly prying them apart to have her sit cross-legged, Hinata then reached with one arm around her back and pulled her over. Sakura gradually fell into Hinata's embrace, crying into her shoulder as she clung to the Demon's kimono sleeve like a lifeline. Pressing their temples together, Hinata rocked the shaking body slowly, rocking her in a slow pace as her fingers went up and down her spine at a sweet pace of petting her tense muscles.
"It w-was only a nightmare, Sakura-chan..." Hinata cooed with closed eyes as Sakura's sobs decreased in volume. "I c-can tell it was a nightmare, S-Sakura-chan. You are safe now... Nightmares can not h-hurt you; it was only a nightmare."
"It felt so real!" Sakura complained as she buried her face into Hinata's neck, wrapping her arms around her into a tight hug. "It felt real, and S-Sasuke...Sasuke-kun died! And he killed me!"
"Sasuke-sama would n-never do such a thing to y-you," Hinata said quietly, tipping Sakura's chin up to have them meet gazes. "I-If I know anything of S-Sasuke-sama, it is that he would never, e-ever lay a finger on you. It w-was only a nightmare, S-Sakura-chan..."
Sakura inhaled shakingly through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, shivering as she nodded allowed Hinata to pull her head back into a embrace that overpowered the chill she had. She continued to breathe as Hinata rocked her body and another living being entered the room.
"Hinata-chan, what is going on?" the husky voice of Naruto perked Sakura's ears as she closed her eyes, trying to stop her tears next. Her body racked with shakes everytime she exhaled. "Is Sakura-chan okay?"
"I c-cannot tell for s-sure... She had a very b-bad dream," Hinata explained in a whisper once Naruto walked over and plopped onto his rear by the bed, watching his wife and Sakura try to calm themselves. "D-did I wake you u-up, Naruto-kun..?"
"Nah, I was already awake by the time you left the bed," Naruto drawled as he reached back to stretch his spin, his ribs becoming exposed since he was shirtless and only clad in pants. "I was trying to listen to the baby's heartbeat, Dattebayo."
"It is too early, N-Naruto-kun..."
Naruto pouted in defeat and sighed, turning his attention to the pink-haired girl huddled into Hinata's hold. "Ne, Sakura-chan, I can go get Teme for you. I'm sure he would want to know if you had a bad dream, Dattebayo," he said before getting up, only to be stopped by a cracked voice.
"No!" Sakura whimpered quietly, yet sternly. "P-please don't tell Sasuke-kun...please!"
"Why?" Naruto asked in a dumbfounded voice, unaware of how Sakura pressed herself closer to Hinata's side and buried her face into her kimono arm. It was Hinata who offered a sad smile as she resumed the task of rubbing Sakura's back with her fingertips.
"I will explain l-later, Naruto-kun," Hinata spoke gently as she hugged Sakura closer. "I-If you don't mind, N-Naruto-kun, I will stay with Sakura-chan for tonight... Until she f-falls asleep once more. Will that be alright, N-Naruto-kun?"
"Yeah," her husband yawned and rubbed his face. "Is there anything I can get for you guys before I go back? I can make a snack, that's what girls like to do when they wake up at night, right? I'll make you guys ramen, that will make Sakura-chan feel all better on the inside! It always does for me."
Hinata felt what was a sob and a laugh at the same time from the little pink-haired girl curled into her side, making the dark-haired woman smile in response to such a possitive outcome to Naruto's happy-attitude. Hinata was always happy when Naruto concluded himself helpful in any given situation, making her love her even more then before she thought possible...
"Naruto makes ramen for the lovely ladies," Naruto grinned toothly as he twirled out of the room. "And, if you guys don't eat it all, I'll finish the rest! Gotta keep my lady warm with my sexy fluffiness underneath all my abs!"
=xxx=
The morning of that long night made Sakura rather sore in her neck and head, however, she was glad to have the company of the married couple of Hinata and Naruto, who stayed by her side and spoke to her; they told her stories about how they met, and Sakura found it the upmost sweetest thing she has ever heard. Much more entertaining then her fairytale books of princesses and magical kingdoms back at the Haruno Shrine, Sakura couldn't help but ask Hinata to tell the story again in the bedroom after the kind Demon brought a change of clothing for Sakura, and was now assisting her by combing her hair.
"E-eh?" Hinata flushed shyly as she halted her movements of coming Sakura's long hair. "Y-you want me to tell...that story again?"
"If it's alright with you, Hinata," Sakura stiffened at the sound of Hinata's hestiance. "I just thought, you know... It was such a nice story to listen to after last night. It really calmed me down, too."
Hinata looked around the room, becoming so flustered of being put on the spot. Sakura took that silence as a 'no', so she tried another track for Hinata to tell the tale. "You don't need to tell me in full details, Hinata-chan."
"Mmm... I am not o-originally from the Uchiha Kingdom," Hinata started out quietly, taking another lock of the pink hair before combing the ends. "N-Naruto-kun found me in the woods while on a mission; I was all messy and s-so hungry, and so his squad figured I-I was one of those Demons that roam the lands in search for food and trouble, and they wanted me to be terminated. N-Naruto-kun, though, he stood over me and pitched a f-fit! He said-" as she imitated Naruto's voice very poorly "-'If you guys think I'm gonna let you hurt this lady here, you're gonna have to get Sasuke-teme down here and try to move me, Dattebayo!' To me, that was love a-at first sight.
"With th-that, N-Naruto-kun carried me back to the Uchiha Compound and took m-me into his home. He fed me, and got me clothes borrowed from from the other n-noble women of the Uzumaki; he introduced me to his parents...and then Sasuke-sama. He demanded Sasuke-sama to allow m-me to stay with him."
"I'm sure Sasuke-kun loves it when Naruto demands things from him," Sakura sarcastically giggled, to which Hinata gasped and shook her head.
"N-no, no! Sasuke-sama and Naruto-kun fought each other like...cats and dogs!" Hinata swung her hands in an explosion-like move, displaying how their arguement actually was. Sakura giggled lightly and explained to Hinata about the sarcastic-language from the Human World, to which she understood quickly and assumed how Kushina and Naruto spoke. "A-anyway, before I lose my thoughts, N-Naruto-kun and I got married..." Hinata blushed deeply as she gushed about her ending of the tale. "And now...I c-carry Naruto-kun's child a-and I am more then happy then I w-was before in my life."
Sakura turned around and gazed at Hinata's red cheeks and glittering eyes, finding it enchanting how much a person can change by meeting the one who they will spend the rest of their lives with. How happy must Hinata be to be with the one who saved her life and now she can't think of anything more then to be by Naruto's side and share that kind of happiness and joy of being a married couple. It almost makes Sakura wonder what she would be like of the married-woman, being by Sasuke and-!
Sakura's own face blushed to a heavy shade of red as she swallowed. Now both girls are flushed and bothered with their own minds playing images of sweet romance into their imagination. Hinata glanced briefly to Sakura, suddenly taken by the squirms and nervousness the pink-haired teen had and she couldn't help but giggle at the funny facial expressions.
Sakura deepened in her blush as she pouted. "What's so funny, Hinata-chan, ne?"
Hinata patted Sakura's shoulders in apology as she explained. "Sakura-chan, if I m-may, you are acting like myself when I was brought into the Compound: all shy and easily able to blush about a...crush."
"Crush?"
Hinata nodded. "I believe you h-have had crushes as a child, w-when you like someone v-very much but you don't know what to make of it yet. Is it l-love, or something smaller, like lust," Hinata sighed dreamily as she held Sakura's face to inspect the cherry-colored reddness that stained her face. "Honestly, all I s-see within you is a lot of love...b-but you don't know it yet. That's okay, S-Sakura-chan."
Sakura's eyes fell to a heavy drop, suddenly sad about it all. "But is it okay?"
"Love takes time, m-my dear friend," Hinata offered softly as she hugged her, arms wrapped around Sakura's shoulders with a true smile on her face. "If you are patient enough to find the answers you're looking for, then your actual feelings will come out. Just take time."
"Just take time..." Sakura repeated from the advice, nodding gently as she soaked it all in at once, her blush reduced to a soft pink. Gentle, and patient, just like Hinata adviced professionally.
"S-Speaking of time," Hinata's expression changed to a more surprised look, "I am running late to watch N-Naruto-kun train this morning!"
"Training? You guys do training?" Sakura questioned with great interest, her fingers gripping the comfortable white dress made of silk with the comfortable robe, instyled of a kimono of the dark green with little slivers of pink.
Hinata smiled again as she stood up, having Sakura follow her movement. "Yes, w-we do. The royal and noble families get together with the s-soldiers and train our strength and skill, it is sort've like a sporting event, I s-suppose. It is very fun, however I can not participate since I am with c-child."
"I guess that is understandable," Sakura nodded and agreement as she followed Hinata out of the bedroom and through the small hallway that would lead to outside. Once exposed to the white sun, Sakura found her new amusement for this different sky; instead of blue, the world's ceiling is colored to the brightest color of lavender with grey clouds. This world was different, but it was also familiar to her innerself. As if she has been here before.
"Do you think I could try training?" Sakura blurted outloud without thinking, watching how Hinata's head snapped to stare at astonishment.
"A-ano... I would t-think if you asked," Hinata bit her lip shyly as she played with her fingers nervously. "I don't see wh-why you can't try. Just ask!" Hinata concluded with an offered smile of courage, telling Sakura that it wouldn't hurt to do so.
"Alright," Sakura beamed a bright smile as she took Hinata's offered arm, looping hers as they strolled through the dark grass toward the sound of yells and metal clashing together, laughter and screams of curses. Hinata stopped at the top of the small hill to show Sakura the sight to see of the training grounds.
A large field displayed seperate groups of Demons, as Sakura could tell easily, with the Yamanaka family and some Uzumakis, unknown people wearing what looked to be leathered material around their chests in one group, another chunk of Uzumakis with people clad in dark clothing. With Sasuke with that group, Sakura considered them part of the Uchiha family, and she also spotted Mikoto and Fugaku holding hands as they watch people team up in twos. Sakura watched as Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the back of his head (since he was shirtless again) and drag him over with that stoic-look on his face, and the blond Demon only yelled out on how he was going to kick Sasuke's ass and everything.
Hinata giggled lightly to her husband's claim before pulling Sakura along to where Ino and the others were grouping together, along with the help of Kushina and Karin. Kushina, on one hand, was too busy jumping around with loads of energy as she force coupling groups, pairing Karin and Ino together and some of the Uchiha soldiers with the other Uzumaki family or with their comerades.
"Sakura-chan!" Ino squealed when she saw Sakura wave at her from the distance on coming closer to their side. The blonde teen dragged the redhead over to meet them halfway, displaying the outfit she donned: a violet-colored dress with a short-kimono coat that matched the color of her eyes, and a silver ribbon to tie it all together. She twirled on her toes before she curtsied. "Look at this, Karin showed this to me and said I could borrow it. Don't I look glamorous? I think I should make one like this myself, if I can find the material similar to this, ne?"
Karin shyly looked down, nibbling her upperlip nervously before smiling tightly at the two women. "Goodmorning..."
Hinata smiled brightly as she tilted Karin's chin up, examining her red eyes carefully. "Are y-you excited to take my place, Karin?" Hinata giggled when Karin gasped and hid her face with her hands, covering her eyes behind her glasses as she blushed furiously. "I-I am very happy that you are taking m-my place for S-Sakura-chan, really. It is s-so kind of you!"
"For me?" Sakura questioned once she removed Ino from glomping her into smothering. She glanced over to Hinata, who seemed very confident with herself now, as Karin switched the roles with her to be shy and stuttering like a high school girl with a major crush. "Why is Karin doing training for me?"
"Oh, I-I suppose I didn't say," Hinata realized. "I would be your noble-companion, if I was not pregnant, that is; Karin will take my place for the time b-being and be with t-the first branch Uzumakis."
"I'm not, how you say...very special in the ranks of the Uzumakis," Karin blinked into her own thoughts as she blabbed outloud. "I don't have equal strength or power, like Auntie Kushina and Naruto...but I am really good at sorting out other chakras and become very alert! R-really, I can pinpoint weakspots and secrets of the enemy, and then I can warn others to get ready. It's just the strength and cool p-powers..!"
"I think that's really cool, Karin-chan," Sakura admitted with a real smile. She fisted her hands and pumped one into the air. "I bet you will do great! I'll root for you, Karin-chan!"
"Aaand, I will be fighting against Karin here," Ino announced with a flip of her ponytail. She wrapped her arm around Karin's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "This will be great, I never battled against another Demon besides my parents before! I'm excited!"
"Ehm..." Karin blushed gently before she whipped her head around and smacked a man behind her. A pale-haired soldier with pointy teeth and purple eyes, he wore a black leathered vest with an uchiwa fan embedded. He wore a belt and a shoulder-strap that held a giant sword - almost as big as Fugaku's height! - and had dark pants on.
"YOU ASSWIPE, DON'T YOU DARE TO TRY AND SNEAK UP ON ME!" Karin howled as flames burst from her mouth, figuratively, as she arranged her glasses into a better position.
"Just seein' what you got going on 'round here, redhead," the man snickered without any reaction to the pain. He dodged another hand to the face as he examined Sakura's body from a bent angle. "And who is this lovely girl with Hinata-sama, ne? What's up, Pinky?" he purred as he offered a handshake to Sakura, hoping to whisk her into a sweet fantasy with a pointed smile.
"That's Sakura, you meddling baffoon!" Karin growled as she pulled the man's ear with great dominance before kicking him to the side. "Honestly Suigetsu, how much can you do to cause such a ruckus?"
"I'm not the one who's yelling, sweetheart," Suigetsu cooed as he stroked a finger along Karin's pale neck, causing her to growl. He smiled naughtily as he bowed to Sakura and Hinata. "Pardon my disturbance, mi'lady, it would be such a bother to be such a nuisance to Sasuke's girl. Trust me, last time I flirted with someone's lady, I ended up being tied upside down from the top of the castle for a week!" He continued on to tell his story as he slauntered off, waving a farewell to Karin as he made his way over to his partner, from what Sakura knew as Shikamaru (since Ino pointed him out with a hateful finger the night before). To Sakura, he didn't seem like a bad guy as Ino put him to be...
"God, that dumbass..." Karin sniffed as she crossed her arms and turned back to face Sakura, her cheeks all red with embarassment and anger. Sakura, Hinata and Ino couldn't help but laugh for her, causing the redhead to stiffen in confusion. "What? What did I do now?"
"It is nothing, Karin-chan," Hinata offered a wave of her hand. She shushed Ino and Sakura quietly before Kushina saw them having fun, for her, she must partake in this amusement to bring order.
"Ne, ne! What's going on here? We're having training now, so we need all hands on deck, okay? Get into formation with your partner!" Kushina gushed with perfected grace as she spanked both Ino and Karin on the rump, causing both teens to gulp and run off. Twirling around, Kushina beamed at Sakura, who gripped Hinata's kimono-sleeve after yesterday's spook with that very same smile. "Sakura-hime, wouldn't you like to sit in the middle of the field so you can see everyone train today? I assure you that Ino and Karin will be closeby for your comfort!"
Sakura blinked a few times in confusion before she actually took in Kushina's offer. Take this chance to watch Sasuke, and prove Fugaku-baka wrong, honey! With a small smile, Sakura nodded and took Hinata's hand; keeping an eye on Ino and Karin's whereabouts and took a spot in the middle of the sloped hill to get a great view of everyone's faces, seeing Mikoto wave happily from the other side of the field before she jumped onto Fugaku's back.
"So what does one do in training?" Sakura questioned once Hinata settled herself on the soft grass next to her.
"W-well, what Naruto-kun and I do u-usually, when we partner, we take turns to try and knock the other down," Hinata described as she pressed her fingers onto her collarbone and other pressure points. "We use our s-strength and speed to distract or stun our opponent; we can either use our muscles, or our family genetics... Like the U-Uchiha has the Sharingan."
"Sharingan..?" Sakura pressed with a contorted expression. She certainly has never heard that word before, or even remember it.
"I-it is an Uchiha trait in the eyes, m-much like myself with what I have," Hinata explained carefully. She pointed to her own eyes before closing them, veins emerging from the skin in a pulsating way as she reopened her lavender eyes to show a constricting design in her pupiless eyes, waves of silver decorated her eyes. "This is called the Byakugan, and this i-is an similar gift to the Sharingan, however, I-I can only see through things and put up 'blocks' to m-my opponents... T-the Sharingan causes illusions and can see a-anything that the enemy is trying to perform before he c-can attack." Hinata retracted the Byakugan and rubbed her temples, noting to Sakura that performing her gift causes headaches during a pregnancy-period, and Sakura quickly apologized for the manner.
"I never knew Demons had stuff like that," Sakura confessed lamely as she watched Kushina yell for everyone's attention so she may give the rules of training. Specifically no killing and no fatal injuries were allowed.
"N-not all Demons have special gifts like this... M-my family was given the Byakugan b-by the Uchiha many, many years ago," Hinata corrected for her. "The Demons you s-see, like the Uzumakis and Yamanakas, they were given 'gifts' by the old D-Demon Gods after the war and they set the kingdoms a-accordingly."
Sakura thought it over for a moment before glancing at Hinata curiously, seeing how the married woman smiled softly when she saw Naruto block Sasuke's fist from aiming at his throat, acussing his friend of trying to destroy his voice. "Hinata-chan..."
"Mm?" Hinata met Sakura's emerald eyes.
"If it is alright for me to ask...what is your maiden name?" Sakura gulped, remembering something that Sasuke had said about what happened after a war, and the Demon Gods - minus the Uchiha - were wiped out during that time.
Slowly, Hinata's eyes softened as she reached with her hands to hold her still-flat stomach, rubbing almost hesitantly as she smiled almost sadly. "My maiden n-name...was Hyuuga Hinata. I suppose Sasuke-sama h-has told you little a-about my old kingdom, n-ne?"
"Just that he doesn't like them very much..."
"There are three families that rule in my world," Sasuke answered with ease. "There is the Uchiha, the Demon Gods; then the Senju, the second largest kingdom and your mother's homeland and then it is the Hyuuga, the smallest one."
"Are they Demon Gods, too?"
"No, just the Uchiha," Sasuke shook his head. "The other Demon Gods were wiped out years ago during a war -before I was born- and the Uchiha set the other two kingdoms under rule of the powerful Demon Clans that were worthy to take on the role of royals. Senjus were allied with the Uchiha and helped protect us during the war; showing how strong and responsible they were... the Hyuuga just fended for themselves."
"It sounds like you don't favor the Hyuuga family," Sakura said softly.
"Not very, no," Sasuke hissed a bit. His teeth were a little bared and caused Sakura to hide her smile from his attitude. She thought it was cute. "We don't get along with them for many reasons, and I would rather leave them out for the sake of my own ears and tongue."
Remembering this particular conversation, Sakura suddenly wondered if Sasuke treated Hinata poorly because of her family - whatever had caused such a strong disliking for them, she reminded herself - she simply couldn't bring herself to ask Hinata. Just seeing how odd she was being by petting her abdomen, it made her think of pity and sadness. To Hinata, though, she smiled and took one hand and held Sakura's own with a comforting squeeze.
"I-it is all because of Sasuke-sama...t-that I can be happy here, with Naruto-kun and our b-baby," Hinata spoke quietly, glancing to the field as Sasuke pinned Naruto onto his back, their eyes all firey and competitive, but she knew for a fact that they will forgive each other lateron about the cuts and bruises they give each other. "He is the one who s-spoke to Fugaku-sama into letting me live here, and allow me to b-be with my love."
"What happened...to your old home?" Sakura swallowed, unsure to ask such a sensitive question. But Hinata was confident to answer it anyhow, to her assigned lady as a noble; it wasn't because she had to, it was because Hinata trusted Sakura.
"I-I was betrothed to someone," Hinata said as she went back to stroking her belly. "I was the princess of m-my kingdom, and my father had my hand into marrying someone I c-could never love. My cousin...he is a sweet person and he p-practically raised me, and my father saw it as a 'perfected match'. I loved him as a b-brother, but nowhere close to a spouse.
"I told my father that I-I could not marry my cousin," Hinata glanced down sadly. "I told h-him that I would not take the throne i-if it had to have me marry someone who w-was a brother. He was upset and disowned me... Th-that is a horrible thing to h-happen in the royal and n-noble family, Sakura: it p-presses the whole kingdom to try and kill you."
"That's horrible!" Sakura complained as she gripped Hinata's hand with both of hers, seeing how the Demon woman nodded in agreement.
"S-so...I ran a-away from my kingdom, leaving my little s-sister and cousin behind." Hinata closed her eyes, inhaling the breeze that settled in before smiling softly. "I traveled for the longest time, starving and c-cold, and I was about to give up until N-Naruto-kun found me and took me home."
"Your sister and cousin..."
"I never heard from them ever again," Hinata exhaled, reopening her eyes. "That was a decade ago w-when I left them."
"Hinata...I-" Sakura tried to express her feelings to Hinata, only to have an index finger shush her.
Hinata's eyes sparkled with joy and no tears. "You do not have to feel s-sorry for me, Sakura-chan," she said in the faintest whisper. She held Sakura's face gently as her lavender eyes bore into the emerald ones. "I-if I had never done so, I would be back t-there and unhappy...without Naruto-kun. I-it was hard to leave my darling sister and cousin, b-but I have never been happier in my life."
Sakura shut her eyes for a moment, taking in of what Hinata had to go through to escape the bad hands of her father's wishes to marry her cousin; forced to leave her sister behind and drop the title of a princess to escape the possible death that may had cut her life short all because of her father! Then, out of the scary darkness that swarmed Hinata's shivering form, Naruto would smile like the sun and carry her to the Uchiha Compound, put her into his bed and feed her and rebuild her from the skin and bones she may have been all those years ago... And how Sasuke stood infront of his father and had Hinata take full residence as an Uzumaki noble and a wife to Naruto.
Opening her eyes, Sakura nodded and glanced to the field where Ino and Karin were sparring with their bare hands. Hinata joined in as they both watched Ino leap toward the somewhat nervous redhead, causing Karin to bend back with a gasp as Ino swung her hand just barely above her head. Ino made a noise of an animal, from what Sakura took as urging her opponent to try and strike her with all she got, and Karin straightened and tried to kick Ino's side. It proved worthless when the bleached blonde teen grabbed her ankle before it came into contact and flipped Karin onto her back, her jaw dropping to let out a painful gasp.
"Karin is not a v-very strong Uzumaki... She comes from the third branch, a-and barely inherited U-Uzumaki genes," Hinata spoke over the small silence when she noticed Sakura stiffen at Karin's airy cry. "The darling tries, b-but she is only good for pinpointing out e-enemies. S-some of us neglect her, but s-she finds comfort with me and the h-head family."
"She is Naruto's cousin, right?" Sakura asked as she saw Ino help Karin up and dusted her back, then assisted into showing her how to hold up a good defense-block.
"Um. K-Kushina's sister's daughter...she went on to the t-third branch and married a l-low class U-Uzumaki. It wasn't a useful combination."
"She tries, though, and I think she can do well," Sakura defended softly.
Beside Karin, the Suigetsu man strolled up and whispered something into her ear, causing the weak Uzumaki girl to shriek and try and push him away. Finding the daring need to smile, Suigetsu said something brief to Ino before squatting to throw Karin over his shoulders and take off with her. Ino yelled after him, but did not bother to chase with the eyes of the Shikamaru-person walking up lazily and hold out a hand to her. With this, Sakura became curious and got up to go over to her friend.
"Like hell I would do such a thing," Ino hissed and crossed her arms, refusing to take Shikamaru's hand as she stomped her foot. "Why would he just take Karin away like that, huh? She was my partner; I don't want to fall down a degree to your level and train with you!"
Sakura stood between both of them, offering a polite smile as Shikamaru bowed in the presence of her, although he did it rather lazily. "What's going on? Where is Karin-chan going?"
Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "Suigetsu wanted to switch partners; saying how Karin takes more of an effort to lash at him then anyone else... You could say he has a thing for her and wants her to start becoming more of a Noble Woman. If you ask me, mi'lady, it is troublesome."
"I'll say," Ino sniffed bitterly. "And don't call Saku-chan mi'lady, you idiot! She happens to be my very best friend, and I won't have you getting on your knees to try and get her to your side!"
"Aweh, so that is why the Yamanakas returned to our world," Shikamaru raised a brow and gave off an amused smirk. "I did not know that you were close to the Forbidden Flower, now this is less trouble then I expected."
"Excuse me?" Ino glared at him.
Shikamaru shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I just didn't think an attractive woman, such as yourself, would be devoted into protecting the Forbidden Flower. Such a close relationship would need to have me to call you a higher name...mi'lady."
Ino's blue eyes widened as her cheeks blushed to a heavy, tomato-color. Sakura couldn't help but smile alongside with Shikamaru as she witnessed her dear friend's torment expression. Ino's cheeks suddenly blew air as she started to crack her knuckles. "Come on, Pineapple-Fucker, keep talking like that and see how well that gets you..!"
"I'm just saying, I would have to treat you a bit more gentler since you are close to Sasuke-sama's bride," Shikamaru drawled with that teasing smirk as he took a step away and Ino took one to him. "Being just a beauty must have a fragile spot inside, don't you think?"
"You don't ever use Sasuke-bastard as a freaking excuse to be gentle with me!" Ino hollered at the top of her lungs as she lunged at Shikamaru, to which Sakura hopped back as the soldier took off, running with his hands still in his pockets as he passed his parents, who were sparring with Ino's folks as the said Demon girl chased after him and yelled out on how she was going to end his life slowly as his brain shall fry like an egg.
"Mew..?" Chi blinked as she tilted her head, watching her daughter reach the leathered vest and try to tear it off.
Yoshino, Shikaku's beloved wife, giggled as she patted Chi on the back. "I think we will have to start talking about grandchildren, ne, Chi-chan?"
"Grandchildren?" Chi mewled in question as she looked to her taller husband for more of an explanation, however, the requested man was too busy laughing outloud as he swung an arm around Shikaku, then hugging him tightly.
"I knew our little brats would be good for each other, Shikaku!" Inoichi roared a laugh as the squishing Demon stayed limp and muttered 'Troublesome' under his breath.
Sakura giggled brightly at the sight of Shikamaru and Ino tumbling on the ground, Ino straddling him down as she took her fists and started to pound him like a bully taking money from a kid. She barely noticed a flash of grey pass by her as she glanced up to see Kakashi peering down curiously at the pink haired teen.
"Kakashi!" Sakura greeted with a happy smile up to the masked man. "I did not know you train here. Are you a soldier?"
The masked man's only eye crinkled into a smile as she shook his head. "No, mi'lady, you could say that I am part of the family; I brought along my wife and child to takepart into training today. Fugaku-sama invited me, and I just couldn't say no, know can I?"
"But you are rather late, aren't you? They started awhile ago and there are no more partners to be taken," Sakura noted as she saw a tall, slim woman hold hands with who looked like to be a preteen girl with dark purple hair and similar eyes to Kakashi.
"Aah, but I was lost in the road of destiny," Kakashi poetically recited with a romantic sigh, glancing behind him to the two smiling girls. "I was busy pampering my lovely wife, Shizune, and spoiling my little brat, Anko."
Sakura giggled. "Sure, I believe you," she shook her head at his antics.
"Say, since you are not partnered with anyone, and my love and child said they would play with each other...why not be partnered with me?" Kakashi offered as he pressed his hand onto his bare chest. As Sakura noticed, nearly every man on the field was shirtless due to the intense warmth of the white sun. "I have taught Sasuke and Naruto everything they need to know about defending themselves ever since they were drooling little snots; I will be gentle, and I could teach you a few moves, what do you say?"
Sakura's heart skipped a beat, turning her head back to Hinata to check, she found the pregnant Demon busy with three small children and Kakashi's daughter, Anko, as Shizune sat by her. She took it as an alright as she faced the masked Demon once more and nodded with confidence.
"Show me how to kick ass, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura announced with a tightened fist.
Kakashi smiled bigger under his mask, bowing lowly with his palms facing up, like he was introducing himself to a new dance partner of an original song. "As you wish, Sakura-hime."
.
.
.
Brightening sun of heat warming my skin, boiling my blood...
.
.
.
I feel so light and free, knowing that you are watching me work hard.
.
.
.
My body, I can't explain it, it is like I know what I am doing.
.
.
.
It is like I have done this before.
.
.
.
Watch me fight, darling, and see who needs to be careful.
.
.
.
"You must move your arms, Sakura," Kakashi's voice echoed behind her as she swirled on one foot and struck the man in his bicep, only to have her wrist caught and meet one eye staring intensly at her. "If you don't move quick enough, you might as well say goodbye to this limb, mi'lady."
"But you forgot," Sakura breathed, a smile on her face as she took one of her legs and hooked it under Kakashi's kneecaps, forcing him to lose his balance and let go of her wrist, "that legs are also useful in defense as well!"
"Very good," Kakashi chuckled as he rolled back onto his feet, narrowing in Sakura's stance. "You excell in getting out of situations, I applaud you for that."
"Sasori-niichan taught me all I needed to know about Stranger Danger," Sakura curtsied her white dress, her light coat with Hinata and the rowdy kids begging for her attention. "Teach me something else, Kakashi-sensei. I want to make you cry for mercy!"
"Mn... Try striking my weakpoints as I try to get you on the ground," Kakashi ordered as he took his headband and pushed it up, revealing his other eye with a long scar across it. Sakura took her stance, of what she saw in movies with Jackie Chan, getting ready for what he had next.
Opening his eye, Kakashi revealed a red orb with commas swirling. Sakura's heart stopped as she reconized the eye from somewhere all-too-familiar, the thing that made her wake up crying for dear life...
Die with me, Sakura.
Stiffening, Sakura's flat hands curled just the tiniest bit into shaking claws. Her heat hammered against her ribs as Kakashi disappeared from her line of sight; her emerald eyes darting over the other mass of bodies tackling each other, becoming blurred as a dull throb started in the back of her head. Sakura couldn't help but hold her own head and shiver at the ache.
'Sakura-chan..? What is going on?' Rin's gentle voice emerged from the ache and invisible arms wrapped around her shoulders. Sakura could feel Rin trying to help Sakura, or herself, she didn't know right now.
"I... I don't know," Sakura breathed below a whisper, her pupils dialating as her vision went from blurrs into smudges, the enviroment around her melting right before her eyes as she bit back a gasp. "R-Rin!"
The field began to change into a heavy wooded area, much like the forest where Sakura had the bonfire for her birthday and Kiba became possessed by a hungry Demon; the smell of smoldering firewood invaded her nose as she tried to breathe properly, and noises of laughter and bells chimming in the distance. Rin's arms tightened around Sakura's shoulders, and she could feel Rin's face bury itself into her neck, trying to hide from something.
"R-R...Riiiin!" Sakura complained as she tugged her own hair, trying to get help from her own conscience that promised to help her. "What is this? I don't understand!"
'My mistake... Memories... My memories and mistake...' Rin's voice ghosted into her little ear as emerald eyes darted to her side, seeing a flash of gray press against a tree, the face becoming oh-so-clear. It was a teenager wearing a clothed-mask, grey-spiked hair that went in all directions as only one visible eye scrunched into a smile.
"Rin! Come on, you're not going to learn anything if you become lazy!" the youthful Kakashi laughed behind him as a burnette teen emerged from the brush. Sakura's eyes widened to reconize Rin's own face, painted with purple streaks as she pushed back her short, brownie hair and puffed her cheeks in frustration.
"You are the one who is lazy, Kaka-chan!" Rin fumed stubbornly as she hurried over and grabbed his arm. "And look at this, now! I just fixed this darn shirt, you messy boy!" she motioned to the ripped sleeve and the scratch that torn his skin and seeped some blood. "Can't you ever be careful?"
Sakura felt Rin's arms shake around her as the memory-Rin reached to the wound on Kakashi, green-blue flames flickered from her fingertips as it simmered onto the wound. Kakashi watched with curiosity as it healed like burning paper, scabbing and then vanishing without a trace.
"Thanks, Rin," Kakashi pat her head before he leapt up into the tree, laughing naughtily as Rin sighed in defeat and looked up the tree with a blush creeping onto her cheeks.
'It is...all my fault,' Rin whimpered into Sakura's ear as she slumped her weightless body against her, the invisible hands dropped to cling through Sakura's white dress as the scene melted away again. 'His eye... The Sharingan. He was so...careful for me.'
"R-Rin?" Sakura whispered as the throbbing increased throughout her head. She felt herself fall to her knees as she let go of her head, her hearing going numb with Rin's cries pressing on with the echo.
'It is all my fault. I'm so, so sorry, Sakura..!'
Breathing in deeply, Sakura tried to find out on where she was. The smell of burned firewood was gone and so was the bells that sang sweetly in the wind. Everything that was dropped infront of her was now gone. Like sand. Sakura didn't understand any of it, but she was scared beyond her skin as of right now.
A sudden presence behind her set her off, her eyes widened as she twisted behind her; she grabbed the hand and flipped the body over, pinning it by its neck as she held tightly. She could feel her hidden strength slowly emerging as her sight started to return. She could make out the silver hair in all short directions, a navy-blue mask covering the nose and mouth of the present-time Kakashi starring up at her with both eyes widening. The Sharingan swirling slowly, analyzing the pink haired girl who is now choking him with one hand.
Her emerald eyes stayed wide in realization. "K-Kakashi..?"
He blinked, suddenly becoming calm with the position he was in now. He held still until she yanked her hand away, holding it to her chest as she start sputtering apologies to him. he simply sat up and reached over and pat her on the head, gently.
"You did really well, mi'lady," Kakashi claimed softly, using his other hand to pull the headband down over the Sharingan eye as he smiled. "I was not expecting you to know where my weakspot was, and now I feel like I need to challenge you a bit more. You improve faster then Sasuke, if I may say."
Sakura stiffened and looked at him. "Y-you didn't see..?"
"See what, mi'lady?" he returned with equal confusion. "You only displayed on what looked to me as vunerability, and I took that chance. I thought I tired you out, but I guess I was wrong." He chuckled to himself as she got up shakingly to her leg. He then noticied the kind of paranoia in her eyes. "Are you alright?"
Sakura bit her lip before opening her mouth. "Kakashi, you-!"
"KAKASHIII! I'M GONNA PUMMEL YOUUU!" a shrieking male voice intrupted Sakura as Kakashi turned his attention to Naruto, who was now walking up to the partners with three children climbing on him like a stuffed animal with Sasuke in tow.
Kakashi slowly got up and stretched, eyeing his wife smiling sweetly at him as their daughter rest her head on her mother's lap, chewing on a blade of grass like a carefree child. Once Naruto made it infront of him, he lazily swung his head to a very angry Uzumaki.
"Yes, Naruto?" Kakashi asked without a care, making Sakura realize where Anko got her 'I don't care' attitude. "What is it now?"
A red-faced blond huffed as he stuck his arms out in presenting the three kids, one on each arm and hanging with joy and the other with her arms around his neck. "Look at this! I was about to beat Teme's ass when these nuts had the guts to tackle me, Dattebayo! I told you to keep an eye on them when we are training, I could've hurt them or something!"
"Naaah! Naruto-niichan wouldn't do a thing like that," the one boy wearing a long scarf yelled over Naruto, matching the hyperactive moves of the Uzumaki. "We were just trying to show Naruto-niichan our new move: Dumpling Roll Number Two!"
"Dumpling Roll Number Two!" the other boy and little girl screamed, causing Naruto to cry out as he fell to the side, making sure that the kids landed on their feet. They swarmed around him and climbed onto his back and started to give childish punched on his bare back. "Wakey wakey, Naruto-niichan!"
"Who are these kids?" Sakura asked out of the blue, completely forgetting about the event that happened before with Kakashi.
"They are children from the village of the kingdom," Sasuke spoke next to her, she jumped and looked at him with a shy gaze. He didn't look as he watch Naruto groan in fake-torture as the children laughed. "Naruto has made friends with them two years ago, one of their grandfathers if our military commander for my father, and they sometimes sneak in here to be with Dobe. Kakashi lets them in every once in a while."
"BUT WHY?" Naruto begged up to the grey haired man, who simply shrugged and shook his head before walking away from him, leaving Naruto in tears as he asked the kids to get off.
The child in the long scarf suddenly snapped his head at Sakura, starring intensely before scrabbling off of Naruto's tanned back and followed by the other two grouping behind him, following his example by getting on their toes to look at Sakura's slowly blushing face.
"Who're you?" the child in the scarf question and crossed his arms, ready to become the serious child-adult he was trying to be. "I haven't seen you here before, and you certainly don't smell like a Demon! You a human, lady?"
"Uhm..." Sakura smiled shyly. She found Hinata at her other side as the Demon woman knelt down to the children's height, smiling sweetly.
"This is Haruno Sakura, honey," Hinata cooed as she fixed the leader's hair, making him whimper. "She is the Forbidden Flower and S-Sasuke-sama's very good friend."
"Forbidden Flower!" They all chanted at once and formed a line, taking the time to grab each others hands and bow like little children should, causing Sakura to smile and gush at their adorableness.
"My name is Sarutobi Konohamaru, lady! It's very nice to meet you," Konohamaru chirped and took Sakura's hand and planted a gentlemen kiss on her fingers, blushing by his own action as she kept his head low to hide it. "My grandpa tells me stories about Forbidden Flowers; he's an old fart, too, so he knows this stuff!"
"My name is Meogi, mi'lady," the girl with pigtails curtsied next before hiding behind Konohamaru out of shyness.
"Und am Udon," the last boy with an obvious stuffy nose raised his hand and bowed like he performed a brillant show. His glasses nearly fell off but he caught them quickly.
"You are all such a hyper bunch," Sakura cooed softly as she got on her knees and looked into their pink faces, smiling brightly when they covered their faces and cried out a little. "You three must be strong Demons, I bet!"
"Yeah! We're gonna be part of the Uchiha Military someday," Konohamaru announced as he pumped a fist and puffed his cheeks. "Naruto-niichan promised he would train us and then we can teach his little kid how to be strong, just like us and its daddy! We're gonna be amazing brothers and sister!"
"How did you turds now about the baby?" Naruto shrieked in shock.
"Hinata-neechan told us before you can home, Naruto-niichan!" they all said together, and made Naruto smack his face onto the ground, crying his eyes out about how everyone knew about it first except him.
=xxx=
Sakura walked right next to Sasuke, their hands linked together upon her request, as he took her to the other courtyards within the Uchiha Compound. After meeting the three Demon children, they begged Sakura to explore with them in the village that was outside the castle's walls; promising to show her all the great places to get treats and where to make the best hiding places for when you get in trouble with your parents, they even said that they new a perfect place to train with wooden swords and knives and make costumes out of recycled cloths from the material vendor. They instantly fell in love with Sakura, and they also sparked Sakura's curiosity on the other places within the Uchiha Compound.
Secretly, Sakura wanted to see more of the castle and the grounds way before she ventured into a village filled with Demons...
Looking up, Sakura saw how the castle's structure resembled the ancient-styled ones from the old Japanese eras of royalty, and yet it looked so new and decorated with colorful lanterns and flags with uchiwa fans printed on them, hanging by the strings from the windows and edges of the building and to the brick walls. To Sakura, this was more then amazing, it was indescribible.
"It's so beautiful here..." she mumbled aimlessly, keeping up with Sasuke's slow, yet long paces as he walked.
He looked down to her dreamy face, finding his heart clenching so longing for her. He dropped his eyes to the ground, finding himself shameful for even being considering the sweet pain his heart was giving him. "Aa."
Sakura heard the strain in his flat voice. She didn't know how she could tell, but she was absolute sure of it. She stopped walking and held tight to his hand until he found the task to stop and glance back at her, his brow raising in silent question. Sakura breathed in, sensing that no one else was anywhere near them or the feeling of being watched from the narrowed windows as she looked at Sasuke with furrowed brows and eyes of worry. They were all alone now, and now she could take this chance to try.
"I had a nightmare last night," she said carefully, keeping eye contact with his sweet black eyes. "You were in it..."
"What happened?" he asked quietly, suddenly becoming concerned with the random subject from talking about a building to something such as this. "Are you sure it was not...a memory?" He hoped to whatever God that it wasn't.
"H-Hinata-chan told me that it was a nightmare. She checked." She felt Sasuke's grip on her hand slacken a little, finding that a bit of his stress was now gone. Looking down, she found his feet pointing so close to hers, making her cheeks flush a bit as his free hand reached to cup her face (so much like the nightmare!) and pulled her face up to look at him.
"Tell me," he urged softly, his thumb brushing the cheekbone. His eyes were so soft, like melting coal into a smoldering black that she just wanted to drownintoandholdontohimfordearlife-!
Oh God...
Blinking hard, Sakura buried her face into his palm, pressing her nose against his strong pulse of his hand as she stared at him. "At training today...I noticied that you were wearing black shirt," she suddenly said, gesturing to the yukatatop he wore, crossing at the top of his neck and tied by matching black ribbons at every inch or two until it reached his black pants.
"What does this have to do with your nightmare?" he questioned, totally baffled by the other subject change.
Swallowing all her fears down, she unlocked her fingers from his and pressed that hand onto his chest, feeling the heart underneath his clothes and skin, as if she was holding it in her hand once more. His head bowed, watching her hand's every movement as it was joined by her other hand. He dropped his palm from her face to her shoulder, gripping her pale shoulder but not hard enough for it to hurt her. He was only letting her know that he was not comfortable about this.
Slowly, her fingers reached for the top ribbon of his yukata, pulling it to become undone as she went on to the next one below it. She continued this and heard his sharp inhale through his nose, seeing how his nose flared in some kind of anger or struggle.
"Stop," he ordered. He made no move to push her away or grabbing her hands to stop the ministrations.
She didn't stop. She continued on until she reached the middle of his covered abdomen, her fingers slide up his chest once more, causing him to inhale sharply again and squeeze her shoulder a bit. Sakura knew that it was going to be pink, but she didn't care at the moment as she gripped the collar and parted her lips to speak.
"The nightmare I had...you were bleeding from your chest; cuts and gashes that just seemed to humanly impossible for me to see," she whispered, her thumbs rubbed the fabric of his top as he heaved an exhale. "This shadow...I don't know what it was, and I don't care right now, but he put your heart in my hands."
Sakura slowly parted the robe at the top and worked her way down, revealing his muscular collarbone and-
Dark, maroonish-red scars stained his pale skin. Long cuts, thick ones, ones that started and others seemed to be lost in the mix of different directions, Sakura couldn't pinpoint out which one started and ended, and where the next did the same. It was a horrific mess on his biceps and around his chest; once removing a bit from his shoulder - getting on her toes to do so, since he was refusing to move - small lines of dark red decorated his skin, looking so much of painful slivers upon the flesh.
"Your chest...it was bleeding so much when I saw it," she said in a tearless sob. "Your blood stained my clothes and it was so hot on my skin, it felt like I was being burned by it." Her left hand let go of his shirt and pressed against the middle of his ribs, right where his heart pounded against her palm. "I was so scared for you, I wanted to scream and cry out... But you held my face and smiled at me. That's what scared me the most. You smiling when you should be in pain!"
"Stop," he repeated thickly, his eyes shutting as he bit his lip hard. "Stop this..."
"You don't need to tell me how you got these scars, I understand that you don't want to tell me," she comforted as her other hand reached up and raked into his hair, rubbing his head as he unconsciously leaned into it. His grip tightened. "You told me not to ask you, and I won't. But..."
She trailed off as she got up to her toes, her hand holding his head pulling him down a bit as she pressed a kiss to his forehead. His eyes only opened a crack as her soft mouth pressed into his raven hair and send warmth onto his skin and numb his skull. It was tender, but so sweet and gentle, he knew it was a kiss of a lover and not an appreciated person. He could just tell.
When she let go of the kiss on his head, she went back to her natural height and dared to lean forward, pressing her cheek against his horrid skin of scars and bloodshed-nightmares, her thin, pale arms wrapped around him as a single tear slipped out when she closed her eyes. She heard his heart. She hears it and she can't help but shed a single tear for that wonderful heart that he has underneath his skin and flesh.
"Please...don't let me hold your heart in my hands, Sasuke-kun."
He gazed down to the top of her head, watching as she held on a bit tighter to him and not fearing the stained flesh of what he did in the past. Right infront of her. When she was just a child, and he showed her what the reality of her existence can do to the ones she loved. He could tell that she wasn't caring about herself anymore. No, no, she was being cautious for her loved ones. She hates to see them hurt because of the sacrifices they would make for her and only her.
His strong arms wrapped around her oh-so-small frame, pulling her even closer to him as her pressed his own cheek to the top of her soft head, inhaling her luscious scent that he had been dreaming about for years; how soft her skin is as his tough hands and fingers press against her bare flesh. His eyes closed on instinct, moving his chin once he hears her gentle sobs as he pressed his mouth ontop of her head. His lips just rested there, unmoving, and he held her so close that he could feel her heart breaking for him.
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Scars tell the story of one's struggle; one's pain and mistake.
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Living up to those things can cause tension...
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And tension, too, leads to more scars to be made.
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The hands of an Angel, the mouth of a Healer...
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Blood, Flesh and Body from the Heaven, all into Hell.
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=xxx=
AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE- You asked for more SasuSakuness (besides handholding) SO I GIVE YOU SOMETHING ELSE BESIDES HANDHOLDING -flips a piece of paper over- Bam, I love you all so freakin' much xD I will have to say that this is the longest chapter I have made yet! And it's all thanks to you wonderful people who care enough to read it. You hear me? IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! Thank you, you amazing people ;A;
So, now you see NaruHina's quick segment on how they became a married couple with a baby on the way; and how Karin's not a bitch in this story (she's not a bitch in the manga, people, she just gets things done and over with) and let us not forget about the ShikaIno c: People have asked why I don't do SaiIno or ChouIno as a Ship... I dunno why, I just like Shikamaru and Ino's interactions better. No hating. Next chapter will be long, as you all requested, and it will have more SasuSakuness moments and the return of Chiyo and Sasori! God damn, I miss those people x3
Remember to Review, Follow, Favorite or do nothing of the sort for this story and get yourself a treat. Please be happy and have a wonderful day! :D