Here with an update! I wanted to refresh this story before finishing Aftereffect. Im really sorry, I know I told some of you the last Chapter of Aftereffect would have been up last Friday but I've been working diligently on it, I just want it to be perfect...
Hopefully this chapter will appease you a little...
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but this is my plot.
Dull, green eyes surveyed the shuffling civilians for the third time before blinking back to the folded arms at her chest... Ino was late, again. The blonde of course had initiated - or demanded - the lunch-date with the rosette, urging her to come on time only for herself to be running nearly half an hour late. Though Sakura didn't have the energy to be angry, she'd been rather blue as of late... Which was why her best-friend had suggested the current, lonely meeting.
The arms at her chest folded tighter as the source of her depression consumed her thoughts. Being out of work for the last two days and having plenty of free-time, she found it utterly impossible not to trace back to the irreversible mission nearly two weeks prior. Coward that she was, Sakura had left the country of rain before the crack of dawn without notifying her teammates, to evade the two boys.
She sighed dejectedly.
Having kept as busy as she did, Sakura had continued to successfully avoid Sasuke Uchiha since the mission... Then again, her low-self-esteem and self-loathing counter-part' wouldn't allow the acceptance of the small feat and instead chose to torture her with the possibility that, he was the one who had successfully avoided her... Her heart squeezed excruciatingly within her chest at the thought, and she bit her lip to keep from crying... The grim rosette hadn't been able to look herself in the mirror for more than five seconds since the ordeal, too disgusted with herself to manage... And she could only imagine Sasuke's new view of her... Would she ever be able to reverse such damage?
She wilted further in her seat.
No longer able to stomach the meeting with Ino let alone food, she grabbed the satchel beside her feet.
Sakura pulled the newly lengthened pink tresses aside - which Ino had convinced her not to chop completely off, so it sat just above her chest - before throwing the strap of the bag over her shoulder. The rosette was sliding the seat back and preparing to stand when a gust of hot wind fluttered the hair at her back, exposing her neck. She was caught off guard by the wave of taut goosebumps that emerged on the back of her exposed ivory skin, and shifted her slightly peculiar gaze past her shoulder. Ninja-senses tingling, her searching eyes eventually relented when she didn't come across anyone or anything odd... Come to think of it, similar occurrences had been happening to her quite often as of late. Except the one just now had been the most intense and almost, deliberate?
She pushed to a stand and withdrew, shaking off the ludicrous thoughts as she did...
More than likely, her menstrual cycle was due and she was just cold... Duh.
Sakura mindlessly made her way down the busy streets and considered going to work out of sheer boredom. She had initially been excited to rest and sleep in but now she would've preferred the busy work. In-between the shuffles and grocery cart jingles around her, a loud and familiar voice reached her ears and her gaze automatically drifted in its direction.
"Listen here old man, I've had it with your jibber jabber... I cant understand a damn word your saying! ...Literally!"
Naruto.
It was no coincidence he was here... It was even possible that Ino's lunch-date had been a hoax... Sakura sighed, watching the two for a moment. She could never understand what that old man Eita was saying either. Still, if Sakura were in lighter spirits she would've marched over to defend the old geezer and resume beating some manners into her thick-headed teammate but she quickly averted her gaze and shifted her feet in the opposite direction.
"No, wait Sakura!"
When she neither acknowledged his call or slowed her fast pace - a bout of cool wind swirled just before her, circling dust and stray leaves until Naruto materialized with a pouty lip.
The rosette sighed in defeat... She supposed she could spare a minute or two.
"What is it Naruto?" She shifted on her feet, folding her arms over her chest in a shielding manner.
His blue eyes brightened as his mouth spread, exposing his pearly whites,"Ahh, just to hear you say my name made this all worth it," he moved to throw his arm around her shoulder, and began to casually lead her down the stone-path,"So, whats up? How've you been?"
Sakura grabbed his curled arm and brought it up and over her head, placing it back by his side,"I'm sorry, but I have to be somewhere... We'll catch up later-"
"No," he suddenly exclaimed in a harsh tenor, catching Sakura off guard. She stood still as his carefree features contorted into a frustrated anger,"Stop doing this."
"...Doing what?" She intoned innocently without missing a beat.
His eyes narrowed into slits,"Stop avoiding me Sakura! I'm sick of this tension... Why are you two letting something so stupid get between you? ...Your both being immature!"
...Naruto, just called herself and Sasuke immature... And he had every right.
Oh the irony.
Her eyes widened fractionally as the reason why she had been avoiding her blonde teammate presented itself,"So then, you know what happened..?"
"...Not exactly, the teme wouldn't say two words about it when I asked and I was tempted to break into Baa-chan's office and snoop through the report... But I didn't."
Beyond relieved, she hid it well but couldn't help but ask,"...Why not?"
He sighed, reaching to grip her shoulder,"Because it doesn't matter... We mess up and make mistakes all the time, those things don't define who we are... But, what we make of them and learn from them builds character."
She was silent for a moment, letting the words sink in... If he knew what she had done, she didn't believe he would be standing here right now... But then again, maybe he would... This was her Naruto after-all. The ever-righteous, and merciful knuckle-headed ninja everyone simultaneously despised and adored.
A small smile spread over her lips,"Hmm... Using my own words against me are we?"
Naruto smirked,"Damn straight... Its about time you start taking your own advice, you rebel."
Half-heartedly, she threw a fist to his rib-cage, and he doubled-over dramatically,"Ah, easy woman! My bodies immunity to your punches has worn off... So, lets grab some ramen and break shit for old times sake?"
She stopped in her tracks and assessed their current location, realizing he'd been luring her there all along,"We aren't breaking anything and - and I'm sick of ramen!"
Naruto's gasp of horror echoed off the stone-walls,"How could you say such a thing!? It's like I don't even know you anymore - hey Sakura, stop pleaseee!" He grabbed her rapidly retreating arm,"The teme left for a mission last night and wont be back til tonight, so he wont be there if that's what your worried about... Please?"
That was what she was worried about and how could she say no to that sun-kissed face?
Naruto really didn't deserve the treatment he was getting from her.
She shifted on her feet,"I don't know Naruto... maybe we could after I-"
Before she could finish, he was grabbing her by the waist and tossing her over his broad shoulder in one sweep,"I cant wait... You owe me, for - uh, lost time!"
Dammit, did he always have to cause such a scene..?
"Naruto!" She grunted in exasperation, fiercely kicking and shoving but to no avail.
He ran them down to the small restaurant as fast as his legs would go... and somewhere in-between, laughter made its way up Sakura's belly...
Surprising them both.
A sheen of sweat covered the rosettes forehead as she tossed and turned, finding it difficult to attain a comfortable position in her bed... Why was she burning inside yet shivering? Her teeth chattered as she drifted in and out of reality and sleep. That is, until a heavy weight overcame her and she succumbed to the gravitational pull at her consciousness.
Abruptly, Sakura was dropped within a dark room but managed to maintain her balance... An iridescent glow of red in the distance was her only source of light and unbeknownst to her, she began following down the formless path that led to it.
'...S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S...'
What was that sound..?
...What was this place..?
'...S-S-S-S-S-A-A-A-A-A-...'
Unease gripped her and she began running towards the light... Faster and faster she pushed her legs as a malevolent presence emerged, making it difficult to breath in the thick darkness.
'...Sakuraaaaaa...'
She gasped, stopping just before the light, she turned on her heel to find herself completely alone.
"Who are you? ...Show yourself!"
Deep laughter permeated the malicious air, making the hair at the back of her neck stand on end. Sakura gulped at her rapidly parching throat and closed her eyes, willing herself to wake up from the nightmare.
'...Sweet girl, you will never be able to escape me..."
Who was this man? ...And what did he want from her?
'Kai!' She whispered urgently.
'...Neither in your dreams-'
His voice was now dangerously close and she began shouting 'kai' aloud.
A firm hand suddenly locked on her jaw, and her eyes shot open to gaze upon a cloaked shadow. By now she would've already disarmed him but found both speaking and moving futile. She was paralyzed. He pressed closer and the tip of his nose became visible from the shadows, slowly it trailed across her cheek and down to her neck... He breathed deeply.
'Nor in reality,' the shadowed man declared against the column of her throat before gripping the back of Sakura's head and slanting his mouth over her own.
No..!
"NO!" Sakura shrieked, before hurdling her body upright. Blinking her hazy eyes several times, she placed a hand over her thundering heart and attempted to slow her rapid breaths.
What the hell kind of nightmare was that..? Her edgy gaze did a sweep of the room but found no malignant presence within its confines... Examining her temperature, she found the fever had broken too...
Slowly, she eased herself back against the mattress and lay still... It had all felt so real, even now her lips were tingling from the - the kiss. She gulped, unsure what to think of it all. If someone had sent her the dream, surely his presence would still linger within the room, but there was no trace of any other chakra signature whatsoever... It was the strangest thing.
Maybe it was the cause of something she ate earlier in the day..?
The soap opera she watched before bed..?
...Her depression...
Sakura puffed out a long breath.
She really had no inkling but tried not to worry too much about it... People had bizarre dreams all the time, especially when running a fever.
Laying awake for sometime, her mind replayed the images of the dream several times - trying to understand what its meaning could be until she eventually drifted off to sleep once more. No restlessness, no scenes nor visions disturbed her this time and she sighed in content, snuggling into the sheets as she did.
Unknown to the rosette, she had just met the man who would single-handedly alter everything she once believed to be true.
The soft whistle of the running faucet filtered the quiet bathroom. Sakura's small hands were cupped beneath its stream, and overflowing for sometime. Other than running some errands after her shift at the hospital, the day had been uneventful so she'd decided to take up Naruto's plea for a sparring session... But if Sasuke showed, she didn't know what course of action to take...
Over three weeks had passed but it wasn't enough time for her... She wasn't ready to face him and it didn't matter how much of a wimp it made her out to be.
She couldn't do it, period.
Splashing the icy water against her heated features again and again, a soft hum played at the back of her throat in satisfaction at its soothing affect. Exhaling a breath, she gripped the porcelain sink on either side and blinked her eyes up to the mirror before her.
Sakura's green gaze quietly roamed over her features before stroking the long, silky bangs that came down to her jaw-line. Finally having a good look at herself for the first time in days, she admitted to liking the new change with her hair and made a mental note to thank her legally blonde best-friend.
"Hey, so when are you gonna stop sulking like a little wuss and talk to Sasuke?"
...And Sakura mentally tore said note to pieces.
She glared fiery holes into the back of Ino's skull,"If I can help it - NEVER!"
The blonde's brows arched in a questioning manner,"When did you become so dramatic forehead?" She walked over to stand beside the rosette, and leaned against the tiled counter of the sink,"Have you considered the fact that maybe he's already forgotten about it? Guys don't really hold on to stuff like that..."
Her eyes fluttered shut, as a weighted breath left her lips,"You didn't see his face that day..." She uttered in a low tone,"I screwed all our progress up, Ino! The damage is irreversible, and things may never be the same - I'm just trying to accept that before seeking him out..." The rosette swallowed the log in her throat,"I'm just... I hope he can forgive me..."
Long, pale arms wrapped around Sakura's torso in an affectionate manner,"Everything's gonna workout okay... I promise," Ino affirmed without the slightest doubt, as though she had seen into the future."Go and be with your team... They're love for you outweighs all your faults..."
She slumped against the platinum blonde and mustered a stiff nod,"...Right."
"And don't forget to meet me for tea later tonight at Ochaya's," Ino reminded before giving the petite rosettes round rump a nice slap and exiting the bath. Sakura moved to her closet to change into a white spandex long-sleeve that was more like a second skin and her usual, dark baggy ninja sweats. Pulling her hair up into a messy bun, she allowed a few loose strands to frame her face before slipping on her clothed ninja flats and leaving the room. Seeing as her best-friend had already left her apartment, she grabbed a bottled water from the fridge, taking a long sip before exiting the dainty loft and locking the door shut.
Just as Sakura faced forward, she was unanticipatedly assaulted by a powerful gust of hot wind that seemed to seep into her clothes, creating the oddest sensation against her skin and she physically flinched as her steps faltered back. Immediately, she turned back to see if it had swayed any of the tree branches just behind where she stood and found everything completely still.
What the hell?
Her whole body was still tingling and she stood for a moment to consider what the cause could be. Reflexively, she charged chakra to her senses to find any disturbances within the perimeter and found no trace of anything or anyone suspicious. With unsure steps, she continued down the small flight of stairs and hastened to meet with Naruto. She wasn't sure if it was from her own imagination or if someone was playing some kind of sick joke on her but Sakura couldn't deny that the occurrences now required a little more attention... First it was the feeling she got when someone was watching her a few weeks ago... Then the dream she had last night and then there were these confusing, random bouts of hot breezes that occurred at random - setting her skin ablaze... It was becoming too much to ignore.
They were not normal occurrences.
Two figures dashed and flickered in and out of sight too fast for the normal eye to follow.
"Come on Sak, is that all you got? ...BRING IT girl!"
Spinning mid-air, he threw his weight into a kick that immediately connected with Sakura's hip only for her body to burst upon impact, leaving a trail of pink petals. Abruptly, the original rosette dropped from the sky, momentarily obscuring his view from the sun before slamming her fist to the ground, missing him by half a second. Clouds of dust and debris sprang out as cracks and fissures marred the now, uneven earth.
"Shut your trap Naruto," she vexed with a small smirk, before pouncing forward to clash kunai's with the boy.
They had been at it for nearly four hours and Sakura had won the first round. If she took this one too, it would be over and that was the goal.
Upon first arriving the straw-berry-blonde had been beyond uneasy to find that Sasuke was in-fact present. Clad in his navy training gear, he was perched on a lower tree branch in a relaxed manner with one leg bent and the other dangling. His arms were crossed loosely on his chest and his eyes were closed. He hadn't shifted in the least since her arrival.
Of course she knew that because she had snuck a glance or two in-between the spar, having missed the very sight of him, her gaze couldn't help but wander.
"Surrender already woman!"
Naruto exclaimed from somewhere behind her... They were both tired to the bone and so Sakura would have to bring the climax of this fight to an end now. Anticipating that he would come from above, she moved with a swiftness that was beyond her and threw a chakra-laden punch just as he materialized, managing to knick his chin.
"Ahh shit!" He cried, wiping the small trail of blood with the back of his hand before scrambling back once more.
Smug satisfaction overcame her,"Had enough?"
Just as she said the words his fist shot forth out of no where to connect with her shoulder. Sputtering upon impact, she slid several feet before tumbling to the ground - completely winded. Dammit, he was not going to shut up about this one. Blinking once, twice she found an equally breathless, and giddy Naruto leaning over her as expected.
"With great pleasure, I announce myself the winn-AHH!"
Naruto's victory was short-lived as his yelp resounded when his legs were swept from underneath and his back met the earth with a loud thud.
"Touche," he rasped, attempting to get his haggard breaths under control.
"Serves you right,"She uttered, still clutching the place he had kicked earlier.
"Ah, I'm beat Sak... But we've got one more round to go," he uttered before his blue gaze shifted toward the broad tree a short distance away,"Hey teme, you gonna join in on this last one?"
They both fell silent in anticipation for what the boy with the raven hair would say. Sakura held her breath when he didn't respond immediately, and just barely managed to catch the subtle shaking of his head.
Of course he'd say no... Why would he want to come anywhere near her if he could help it?
She closed her eyes in misery.
Naruto grunted beside her before pulling himself up to stand,"Why not you jerk?" He interrogated, crunching leaves underneath his sandals as he neared where the rosette was still sprawled on the ground, assisting her to stand as well.
"Your both expended."
Sasuke's quiet tenor carried over and Sakura's heart skipped a beat... He didn't want to join because it wouldn't be a fair fight with how worn they already were, not because he was disgusted with her... Well at-least, she hoped that was what he meant. Knowing him, he could be indirectly explaining his distaste... Then again he was a usually blunt individual.
"Tch... Come down here and say that to my face ass-hole!"
Being the easily offended and hot-tempered soul that Naruto was, he took offense when it wasn't intentional. Though, Sakura soon tuned out the one-sided argument as her senses became on high alert once more. Her green gaze shifted toward the two boys and surprisingly found neither aware of the slight fluctuation she felt just now... But, how could her two elite teammates miss it? ...She began to question her own sanity when Naruto's voice broke out once more.
"Come at me Sak, lets finish this and grab some ramen."
She took on her slightly crouched fighting stance and locked eyes with him,"If I win we're going to Taro's."
The shaggy blonde didn't appear to like the proposition but he reluctantly nodded his head,"I'm not holding back this round Sakura, guns will be blazing - be ready!"
She smirked, accepting the challenge,"Looks like we're gonna have to clean up after this one..."
Within the instant she took a breath, they both pounced at lightning speed toward a head-on collision. The scene before her seemed to move in slow-motion and she couldn't connect her fist with his jaw fast enough. Of course, this left her completely open for his own fist at her abdomen and they impacted within the same second. Though something unexpected happened. As they're bodies were torn apart from the powerful strikes, the blue-spark from Naruto's signature rasengan emerged brightly at her abdomen where he had struck - though what had her in alarm was the utter surprise on her blonde teammates face... And then everything happened so fast. Sakura was propelled several hundred feet back as the blue fire burned brighter and stronger with every yard. As the initial shock of it wore off, searing white slashed behind Sakura's eye-lids. The scorching pain tore through the rosette and her shrill cry reverberated throughout the training grounds, as her tumbling body came to a sliding stop on the earth.
Still suffering from the shock of it all, she attempted to pull herself up onto her knees when the radiating blaze of the fire swallowed her whole. Burning, she was roasting alive and it was unendurable.
Writhing onto her back, she was unable to defuse the flames still eradicating the flesh at her torso and screamed in agony when it only intensified at her notions. Within an instant a horrified Naruto was leaning over her shaking frame,"Oh fuck, Sakura I - I don't know what happened-!"
"Please, just p-put it o-out!" She choked out between clenched teeth, restlessly shifting from side to side.
His tan hands pressed over the blue flames, preparing to draw the energy back into chakra only for his own hands to catch fire.
Blue eyes widened in distress.
"AH HELL!" Naruto cried in confusion, slapping his hands on his pants to disperse the flames... But soon found that they would not burn out.
What was happening?
Her whole body shook severely, as she rolled away from him only for the fire to travel up her torso. Blood began seeping out from the spreading burns and howling screams left her throat without control. Unable to see, hear, or feel with her rapidly numbing body Sakura barely distinguished the authoritative voice directing Naruto, or the strong hands that were now holding her down.
"The fuck did you do dobe?"
The blonde wailed, overwhelmed by his grief,"Nothing - it just happened - I swear on my life teme!"
Her body jerked and shuddered uncontrollably,"Make it s-stop, pleaseeee!" The rosette cried out desperately, as tears streamed down her face. She was assaulted by another wave of the severe fire travelling up her spine and arched her back in anguish. Never before had she longed for death. She began sobbing when the smell of her burning flesh reached her nose and felt vile spring up her throat.
"Sakura."
That voice...
"Open your eyes."
Blood-shot green eyes squinted open at the command, and struggled to remain so until her head was forcefully arched by a strong hand to meet crimson Mangekyou-Sharingan. She choked on her breath, immediately captured by the hypnotizing kekkei genkai and her cries diminished at once - becoming soft whimpers. Welcoming the inescapable clutches of the Sharingan, the tormenting pain eventually receded into nothing...She felt nothing... The colors began to blur and her head lolled back. Was she dead? ...Thoughts of never being able to apologize to Sasuke left a dull ache in her heart though she couldn't deny the soothing peace enveloping her entire body. Tears of relief escape her heavy eye-lids, and his beautiful features were the last thing she saw before darkness invaded her consciousness.
She fell limp in Sasuke's arms just as the blue flames on her body flared out, and he closed his eyes in what could only be described as appease. His rigid frame slackened and he shifted slightly to find Naruto's traumatized features severing,"T-Teme, how did you put out the flames?"
He shook his head, gently setting her upper body back to the earth, Sasuke continued to examine the frail rosette,"I didn't."
The blonde crawled closer, ignoring his charred hands as he did,"I swear I don't know what happened... It just zapped out of me without control when I - when I went for her torso,"His voice cracked, and he inhaled sharply,"God, Sakura what have I done!?" He pressed his forehead against her own as emotion overcame him.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed down at the unconscious rosette - the black swirls within his scarlet gaze shifted with revelation and he knew he had to expose her but not until the two at his back were well on their way.
He turned his neck toward the two Shinobi standing in concern close behind. They must have been within the area and were drawn to the training ground by the distressed cries.
"Go notify the Hokage of this, and no one else."
His chilling tone left no room for questioning.
"Yes, right away," the older of the two said before they did a series of hand-signs and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Naruto's guilty features contorted into panic,"We should get her to granny now, shes still losing blood... Sasuke?"
The blonde could only watch his unresponsive best-friend as he leaned over the unconscious Sakura, and grabbed the edge of her ruined white shirt. It took zero effort on his part as the material unraveled from the slightest tug, shredded as it was. He pulled it apart just until her chest bindings, revealing the extent of her burns. Her once milky-skin was caked in blood and dead skin, but he continued to separate her clothes without daunt. Though the smell of their Sakura's blood and destroyed skin was too much for the blonde to bear... especially since it was his doing. Naruto heaved and immediately turned away from the sight of her to empty the contents within his stomach.
Sasuke's incisive eyes took in the unnatural pattern of her burns, and he gripped her torso, bringing it toward him to examine her back where the rest of it trailed off.
Unnerved, the ever controlled and refined Uchiha couldn't stop his gaze from widening... Immediately, his hands flattened over the burns and gently - he began wiping the excess blood and skin off...
The guttural sounds quieted and Naruto wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before catching sight of Sasuke's brash actions from his peripheral vision.
Anxiety gripped Naruto and he crawled over in haste, preparing to ram his best-friend off,"STOP - WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
His burned hands reached for the raven-hair boy, but Sasuke shoved his weakened body off with a single hand without ceasing the work of the other.
"SASUKE! What the fuck!" Naruto shrieked in horror as his hands shot up to his scalp at the image before him... He was hurting her didn't he understand that?
The young Uchiha's hands were relentless, swiping away all the excess skin and debris until his gaze took in every detail of its design. Slightly breathless from his own inner alarm, he locked his gaze with the rapidly paling blonde.
"Come here Naruto."
He was completely blue in the face and didn't believe he could stomach another glimpse of his precious rosette in that state. He felt Kurama's chakra pulsating within him and willed his emotions to contract. Keeping his eyes down-cast, he stumbled back to kneel beside the raven-haired boy. He was not going to look at her battered body, he was not going to - what was that?
In-admissibly Naruto's darkened blue eyes roamed over the deliberate swirls marring their petite teammates body in bewilderment,"Is... Is that a-?"
The boy beside him nodded once,"...A dragon."
A rattling shiver ran up Naruto's spine.
Beginning at the base of Sakura's defined left hip, tracing over her lower back, back to the side of her torso and finishing beside her covered breast, was an intricate design of a dragon. Visually and texturally - it was akin to a scar. The dragon itself was vicious - foreboding in its appearance, and Sasuke's Mangekyou copied every detail to memory. Sasuke understood now that, the burns had only ceased because the marking had finished... Permanently burning into her skin.
Allegedly, it could very well be a seal...
"H-How?" Naruto question aloud, his eyes permanently wide.
"Black magic," Sasuke answered without the slightest doubt in his mind and fell silent in deliberation. Naruto clearly had a second chakra radiating his system - for the last week, even month and it had only just been triggered. But how were they unable to detect it? Even now he didn't sense any irregularities from the dobe nor Sakura. Only when they had first clashed on the field before the accident, was there the mildest slip of something supernatural. Jaw-clenching, his sharp gaze swept over the blonde analytically before returning to search the forest for the third time while preceding to address his exhausted teammate,"Can you manage her?"
He swallowed the lump in his throat before nodding,"I'll get her there..." With careful hands, Naruto lifted the broken girl into his arms and shot Sasuke a meaningful glance before racing off in a yellow flash.
The raven-haired boy watched them go before flickering out of sight with purposeful intent.
...
..
.
...Unbeknownst to the three, their unraveling had only just begun.
Did the transitions flow okay? ...Do tell me.
Thanks for reading, please leave me your thoughts/likes/dislikes.