A/N: Sorry, I promised to have this uploaded and finished but it was a lie, schoolwork decided to kick my ass and consumed my life. D:
Chapter Three
"The song of midnight cried out,"
Sasuke returned from a two-day mission to catch up with a group of bandits that were harassing a small outskirt village. He had the paperwork to file out for the mission report and he found himself not in his apartment writing it out but at the small café. However, when he reached it he noticed something, it was still closed. He then realized that very few people would be out at six in the morning. He sighed and rested against the side of the door and waited. He saw a few people come and go and using the small alley beside the store. His eyes shut as the minutes ticked by, only when a hand touched his arm did he open his eyes again. He saw Akina looking up at him. He smirked down at her.
"I promise I am not sleeping." The girl sighed.
"That's a relief." She said and removed her hand from his arm. "What brings you here so early this morning?"
"What time is it?" Sasuke asked.
"About six twenty." Akina answered. She unlocked the door to the café. "You know, you and I need to stop meeting like this." Sasuke tilted his head and she glanced back to see his expression. She opened the door and let him in. "I mean how every time I have duty here in the shop you magically show up. Are you trying to steal my job?" She asked, jokingly.
"Yes, Akina. I want to be a waitress and I think you should take my job as shinobi." He said and entered going to a small table. He watched her as she went dropped her things behind the counter and grabbed an apron.
"I don't think you want me to be a shinobi, believe me it's a miracle how I keep a tray balanced let alone myself."
Sasuke laughed at that. "Akina, are you admitting that you are a klutz?"
She threw her hands up in fake exasperation. "Ugh, now you know my big secret, I'm going to have to kill you." They both laughed a bit at it and both realized simultaneously what was happening and they both tore away from the conversation and laughter. "Sorry, got caught up in the moment." The boy nodded agreeing with her. She walked over to him with a tray and notepad. "What would you like this morning?"
"The usual." He whispered and looked down at the paperwork. Akina nodded and jotted it down on the paper.
"I'm going to go to the back to get some of the tea and get it brewing, it's the morning so it'll take a bit longer than usual to make it." Sasuke nodded not looking up at her. She walked away from his table and let him work. He heard her shuffling around and heard the pot being placed onto the stovetop. He then heard a door opening. The side door, he concluded and began writing his report. There was silence for a long time, even for Sasuke who enjoyed silence it was starting to become irritating and worrisome. He stood up from his seat and walked towards the counter.
He looked out and saw the side door open. "Akina?" He said, a hand resting on the counter. She didn't answer. He jumped the counter and started heading towards the door. That's when he started hearing the voices of Akina and a man.
"It's none of your business." Akina said.
"I swear to god, you've been acting like a spoiled brat for the past three years. He gave everything for you and you are just going to through it away for one foolish thing."
"Get your hands off of me, I have work." Sasuke stepped forward when he heard that. "I said let- ow!"
When Sasuke stepped outside he saw a man around their age gripping Akina's arm. "Oi." Sasuke raised his chin slightly, looking down at the man. "She said let go." Akina's jaw nearly dropped when she saw him.
"It's fine…" She started and to push the man away but he gripped her harder and her face twisted in pain.
"Keep out of his, this is not your business." The man recognized him though, "And I don't care who you are so don't try to use your status against me, Uchiha Sasuke."
"You are going to make a fool of yourself." Akina whispered to the man.
Sasuke stepped forward until they where eye-to-eye. His hand reached out at an incredible speed and grasped the man's wrist. "Are you deaf?" Sasuke smirked. "Let go of the girl." He began to crush the man's wrist underneath his hand. The man's face twisted in pain and let go of Akina. Akina grabbed her arm which was definitely bruised. "When a girl says let go, it means let go. But you are not a girl so even if you ask, I won't let go." Sasuke began to twist the man's hand nearly snapping it but Akina grabbed his arm.
"Please don't do that…" Sasuke released the man's wrist. He scoffed at the two and walked off. Akina took a step away from Sasuke as he turned around to face her. He reached out and before she could take another step his hand was holding her arm, right below where the bruise was forming.
"Let me see your arm."
"I'm alright, Sasuke…"
"Let me see." He said looking into her eyes. She automatically froze up for a moment before nodding and allowing him to roll up her sleeve. "You're lucky he didn't snap your bone in two. Who was he?" Akina looked at the ground. "Akina, I am a shinobi and a man just attacked you, who is he?"
"His name is Seichi. He's my boyfriend's best friend. The boyfriend who died in the war."
Sasuke's thumb brushed over the sensitive skin. Akina jumped in pain. "Let's get that on ice." He whispered. He guided her back into the store, the other waiters and waitresses were there and when they saw them they cocked their eyes at them. "Do you have ice?" He asked.
"Yes in the fridge." One waiter said. "Is everything-?"
"Fine." Sasuke snapped. He took her to the fridge and let her sit in a chair and Sasuke opened the fridge and got some ice out. He found a cloth and wrapped the ice in it. "There." He whispered and put it on the forming bruise. Her face twisted in pain.
"That hurts." She whispered back. Akina looked up at him as he gently moved the ice on her arm. "They always rumored you to be this big, tough guy who doesn't know his own strength, but you are very gentle." She whispered.
He looked up at her when she said that. "Thank you." He whispered. "Why did he grab you like that?"
Akina sighed, "It's about Takumi, my boyfriend. I found out he was cheating on me up until his death and I removed myself from them, from his friends who knew but no one said anything, from his family and Seichi thinks I am being unfair to Takumi's memory."
Sasuke looked up at her again and cocked an eyebrow. "I don't see anything wrong with you being angry about something like that." Akina shrugged. "You are not angry," her eyes suddenly said everything, "you're wounded." The girl sighed. "I'm sorry." Sasuke said and looked back down at the injury rotating the ice to keep himself preoccupied.
Akina smiled, "It's not your fault. Thank you for that. I've kept you from your work, I am so sorry."
"Don't mention it." The boss came in at that moment and looked at them and questioned Sasuke about what happened, Sasuke explained that she was attacked but didn't say by whom. He figured that she would want that left out. She looked at him gratefully. "Let her go home, she doesn't look well."
Her boss knelt in front of her. "Akina?"
"No, um, thank you Sasuke, but I will continue my duties. Thank you, boss, if I can just sit for a few minutes I'll get back to work." The boss got up and left them alone. "Sasuke, thank you for not saying anything."
Sasuke nodded and said nothing else. After moment, Sasuke sighed and removed the ice from her arm, "There that should bring down the swelling when it bruises." Akina nodded and stood up along with him. "Would you like me to walk you home after work? You look shaken up."
She nodded, "I think I would like that very much." She whispered and bit her bottom lip, her eyes almost got teary eyed as if she was trying not to cry.
"I truly hate being alone more than anything"
"I knew it!" Naruto shouted. Hinata was out on a mission that day, so there was no one to panic about the blonde boys random outbursts except for the guest, Sasuke. Sasuke had his face in his hand and contemplated why did he tell the boy? "You like her."
"If it was anyone I would have done the same thing, Naruto…" Sasuke muttered, a light scoff at the end of his sentence.
"Oh, but would you ice their arm and would offer to take them home?" Sasuke glared slightly at his blonde friend. "You like her, you like her." Naruto laughed out of pure joy. Sasuke groaned again.
"Why do I talk to you again?" He asked.
With that question, Naruto had his arm wrapped around Sasuke's shoulder, "Because I am your right hand man. Ok, we are going to get you two together." Naruto said with a proud gleam in his eyes.
"Naruto, didn't Sakura want to get back together with me? Aren't you supposed to remain neutral in these things?" Sasuke asked. Naruto scoffed at the questioned and then horror fell over his face and Sasuke watched Naruto go from confident to extremely insecure. Sasuke smirked at him as Naruto fell apart by placing his hands near his mouth and started bitting his nails from the sheer anxiety. "Naruto, Naruto, I'm kidding. But thank you for the vote of confidence. But really, I am not in love with this girl. It's just her eyes…"
"Sasuke…?" Naruto whispered, getting serious.
"Her eyes remind me of ours when we were kids. They are filled to the brink with loneliness and something about that loneliness… even though I've seen it in so many other's loneliness but this magnitude of it… never before." Naruto stared at him as if knowing there was more. "I think that's why I wanted to protect her in that moment. It's unfair."
Naruto smirked, "That, my friend indeed is love."
"I swear that it's not, it's not what I felt with Sakura…"
"Then you weren't really and truly in love with her."
Sasuke shook his head and looked at Naruto, "Why are you so sure that I am in love with this girl? A girl who I've only talked to for a good three times. Three time is not enough time to establish that you are in love with someone Naruto."
"I know because what you are describing is the feeling to protect, you need to protect but there is nothing in your power that you can do and it's frustrating and it's causing you anger. You are angered enough that you came to talk to me instead of waiting there for her the rest of the day. I told you about when Pein attacked the village right?" Sasuke nodded. "I told you about Hinata jumping in to save me?" Sasuke shook his head.
Naruto chuckled and smiled looking up at the ceiling. "You know Sasuke, I am a fool. Pein had pinned me to the ground with his rods, he was taking my chakra and his chakra was in me and I could barely do anything. He was about the knock me out and take me back to the Akatsuki to take Kurama and then Hinata seeing the danger with the byakugan jumped in and blocked Pein." Naruto's gaze shifted from the ceiling to the raven-haired man whose eyes had widened.
"She didn't stand a chance against him, she confessed to me at that moment before she started fighting him. When she took that first swing, I never felt so horrible before in my life, she was going to die because she loved me and cared for me. She was alone and she watched me and that made her feel less lonely, I was alone but never recognized that she was always there. When Pein stabbed her…" Even after three years, the memory turned Naruto's pupils to thin slits from the anger.
"I lost control of Kurama, completely let his chakra overtake me and I nearly unleashed him onto the village. I didn't know why I did that at the time, I had seen Sakura hurt before and I never reacted that badly. If I had known that the feeling of absolute dread from seeing Hinata hurt like that was a byproduct of love… I would have gone and grabbed her right after that." Naruto said and relaxed, all those intense emotions flowing through him, even if he was just talking about it and not living it.
"Naruto…" Sasuke began, "You almost sounded wise there for a moment."
"Oi!" Naruto shouted back and Sasuke smirked before chuckling at his reaction. "Ah ha ha, smart aleck, fine. You want proof? Look at her bruise today when she gets off her shift. You'll know then." Naruto crossed his arms and nodded his head.
Sasuke put his elbow on the table and rested his head on his open hand and raised an eyebrow. "What, is this your new occupation, Naruto? A love guru?" Sasuke asked, teasing Naruto again. "You can write a book, it would be the next big hit, sell more than Itcha Itcha Paradise."
Naruto's eyes gleamed again. "If I wrote a romance novel it would surpass Ero-sennin in every!" he stretched the word every out dramatically and stretched his arms above his head, "regard!" he finished looking right at Sasuke's eyes.
Sasuke smirked slight, "Idiot."
"And from that day on, I learned the hard way what was important…"
Sasuke and Akina walked side by side until they got to a small apartment building. "Is this it?" Sasuke asked. He didn't like the neighborhood but she was living on waitress's salary and he was a shinobi, they were in completely different social classes. Akina nodded and started heading up the stairs.
They stopped at the third floor walked to the door. "Thank you for everything, Sasuke."
The boy nodded his head, "Don't mention it." He then thought about what Naruto said. "Hey, Akina, can I check on your bruise, again I just want to check if everything is alright." He said and she nodded. Sasuke took her arm and rolled up the sleeve again saw the black and blue imprint of the man's hand. Rage fueled up instead of him and then remembered what Naruto went through with Hinata. He stepped back away from Akina as if he was wounded himself. "It looks fine." He said trying not to stammer.
Akina nodded. "Thank you." She whispered.
This weakened state she had been reduced to made Sasuke's skin crawl. "Akina, try to ice it again so it won't swell throughout the night. And if anything happens, my friends and are going to be in the café, come there." She looked at him with questioning eyes. "I promise if something happens I'll be at the café. Alright?" He asked.
She nodded. "I will." She said with a small smile.
The two said their good-byes and Akina went inside her apartment. Sasuke watched her turn on the lights before descending the stairs. He made his away around the village and to the café where he realized that he was the last one there. "Where the hell where you?" Kiba asked pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke as he took his seat in the booth beside Naruto.
"Shut up." Sasuke said and closed his eyes, relaxing. He was dressed in all black that day and contrasted with everyone else who wore bright colors. Everyone began talking about the current increase of enemy activity around the outskirt villages. However, in the midst of the conversation Naruto noticed that Sasuke seemed severely distracted. He wasn't thinking about the topic at hand he was thinking about the girl with the black curly hair and her teary face and the bruise on her arm. More than anything though, he was thinking about the man that had caused these things and how he wanted to beat him to the ground. He was pulled out of these violent thoughts when Naruto touched his arm.
For a fraction of a second Sasuke thought it was Akina. "Sasuke, I forgot something, come with me to get it." Before Sasuke could protest, Naruto had pushed Sasuke out of the teahouse. "Hey, are you ok? You seem distracted."
"I looked at her bruise like you said I should." Sasuke closed his eyes and when he opened them again there was sharingan in them. "And I got so angry, I haven't felt this much hate since… well, since I learned the truth about Itachi." Sasuke closed his eyes again and pinched the bridge of his nose, expelling the kekkei genkei. When Sasuke opened his eyes again he saw Naruto standing there as if he was saying with his body 'I told you so'. "Shut up, Naruto." He could not only see but also hear Naruto grin. "What am I going to do?" He asked. "She's a non-shinobi, a normal person, the only thing that she has that's unique is an eccentric personality like yours."
"Ah, did you fall for her because she reminds you of me."
"If she did I would have killed her to spare the world of two of you. As if your clones and sexy technique aren't bad enough to have two of you..." Sasuke commented.
Naruto chuckled, "Well then grumpy pants, what are you going to do?"
"Nothing." Sasuke said. "There is nothing I can do without hurting Sakura and without putting the whole group dynamic into chaos and…" As he spoke his head was lowering and when he stopped talking he snapped his head up. Naruto too heard what Sasuke heard. Someone was running towards them. Naruto dismissed it as a child and after a moment so did Sasuke.
"I told her that if something happens during the night that she should come here." Sasuke whispered.
Naruto sighed and put his hands behind his head. "What a pain. Jeez, Sasuke why are you always so much trouble?" He asked.
Sasuke immediately glared at him but with a raised eyebrow. "That's my line, you idiot."
Both of them went back into the café where Naruto apologized for grabbing Sasuke and leaving in such a manner and stated that he forgot a majority of his money at home due to the fact that he had just finished a mission. They talked for a bit longer before the boss of the café got out from behind the building.
"Sasuke, can you come here for a second?" Sasuke and everyone looked in his direction as the man opened the counter. Sasuke, of course, got up and headed for that direction. All the waiters and waitresses looked at him with distress and when he got back there he saw Akina out of breath and shaking.
His hands moved of his own accord as he grasped her to keep her from trembling. "What happened?" He asked letting go with one hand to push her hair out of her face. The girl shook her head and couldn't talk. "You're alright." He whispered to her. "Someone get me a chair so she can sit down." A waiter scrambled and grabbed a chair that was next to him and brought it to them. "And a glass a water."
A moment later one was handed to him and he handed it off to Akina. She took a sip and immediately it cleared her throat enough to speak. "Seichi showed up. I couldn't close the door in time and I ran to my room and locked the door and he was furious that you were there and he called me a coward and other obscenities and he wouldn't leave he started pounding on the door and I got out through the fire escape." She whispered and let her head drop to her hand.
Sasuke knelt down in front of her. The boys had all gathered around the counter to see what was going on but Naruto got in to help. "Sasuke, this is your fight, how do you want to handle this?" Sasuke stared at her.
He was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Naruto, take my house keys and take her there." Akina let out a soft gasp. "I'm going to go find this guy and bring him in for harassment." He said with this newly found determination.
Naruto raised his chin looking down at his friend who was crouched in front of the girl. "Sasuke, you just sounded like a policeman. That role suits you well. Do it, if that's what you think is right."
Sasuke looked up at him, remembering that Naruto didn't know every detail about his family's past. He smirked at his friend and stood. "Like father, like son." He muttered under his breath. "Akina sit tight and make yourself at home. I am not going to allow these things to continue do you understand?" He stood and turned his back to her ready to leave the teahouse, dropping his keys into Naruto's hand.
"But Sasuke, you don't have to…" Akina whispered. Sasuke turned his head back at her and simply smirked.