Chapter 2

There's a scent of rain lingering in the air now. It had arrived suddenly, remaining in the dampness of the clearing. Flatlands fold out beyond them, where rows upon rows of crops spread out as far as the eye can see. Known for many things—from plantations to fisheries—the Land of Tea is a beautiful place.

Sasuke's clothing billows out from behind him as he speeds ahead, keeping a natural distance. He makes music. Keeping beat, his feet thump upon and branch and the chains around his neck shake.

Thump-ching, thump-ching, thump-ching…

"Why didn't you wake me?" Sakura says to his back.

She would not think that he'd even heard her, had he not replied a few seconds later.

"You were tired."

Thin, pink eyebrows knit together in frustration. Regardless of his assumptions, both had an agreement. Four hours of sleep, four hours of keeping watch. Sakura is embarrassed that she had not woken up until the birds started chirping noisily. It makes her feel lesser, like a child.

Thump-ching, thump-ching, thump-ching…

...:::*:::...

Old, thatched-roofed cottages were scattered across the countryside. Walking along the dirt road, Sakura took notice at how the poorer homes disappeared to make way for wealthier abodes. Even the people who walked in and out of shops changed—worn clothing shifted brighter, more expensive threads.

Taking its place in the center of the village sat a massive, stately building. The red-stained columns symbolized luck, prosperity, and fertility. In bright contrast, beautiful golden letters spell out kanji beckons, luring in weary travelers. It's a famous gathering spot for couples and lovers of all nations. Sakura has read its praises in a few flirty magazines.

Some nights at the hospital were slow, after all.

Sasuke ducks through the entrance without hesitation. Sakura keeps several paces behind, hoping to blame the heat of the day on the flush of her cheeks. Seems all she's good for in his presence is blushing.

She looks around, taking special notice of the myriad of partners. Salt-rock lamps glow in the doorway, giving the room a hazy, lustful atmosphere.

This place is more like a brothel than a hotel, Sasuke decides. He'd rather not stay long.

The Uchiha glances at the scribbled parchment in his hand, making sure that the address matches his current location. As he captures the edge of his paper between his lips to change the page, Sakura comes up beside him.

"Oh, I can help—"

Sasuke moves back away from Sakura's hand, avoiding contact as if she were plagued.

Blood rushes to her ears.

Oh.

She cannot hear the conversation Sasuke has with the receptionist. His fervent denial is not only embarrassing, but utterly traumatic. Sakura is an outsider to someone she'd once called a teammate…a friend. He'd never so brutally avoided her touch.

The woman takes a step away, locking her gaze onto something else, anything else.

"Do not contact unless of emergency," The man reads aloud from a large, leather journal.

Sasuke narrows his eyes.

The man taps his fingers impatiently, seemingly unfazed. "Unless you are a guest here, I will have to ask you to—"

"How do I become a guest?"

He looks from Sasuke to Sakura. "Well, this is a couples resort. Is this your partner?"

Sakura blinks slowly at the man. She opens her mouth to say No while Sasuke simultaneously barks, "Yes."

He does not seem to buy the ruse. "We do have a waiting list. What are your names?"

"Haruno Sakura," the kunoichi says, perhaps a bit too quickly.

"Uchiha Sakura," the shinobi beside her corrects. "And Uchiha Sasuke,"

Sakura brushes a stray hair from her face. Her mouth is dry, and as she swallows, it's as though a cotton ball slides down her throat.

"Uchiha! Oh goodness, please excuse me. I had no idea…we will of course grant you entry. I personally apologize for the hassle. We do require a nominal fee, however."

Sasuke shifts, and Sakura assumes he is reaching for wherever he keeps his coinage. His cloak is rough against her arm. She looks at the dark brown designs, memorizing the knitted pattern. It looked like it had been through many battles. How many punches had he taken more gracefully than his flinch from her just moments before?

"How much is it for one night?" Sakura finds herself asking.

Perhaps she gets it from her father, but Sakura can't stomach the thought of being indebted to someone. Money did not always come easy to her family, and although she lived on her own now, she'd learned to become rather frugal.

"80,000 ryo,"

Sakura's head whips around. She stares wide-eyed.

It was expensive—more than what this mission brought her. She didn't carry that kind of amount on her. Without a comment, Sasuke puts two gold coins on the counter. It is a hefty tip.

The main walkway is made of wood, with waist-high railings. On either side, two large koi ponds undulate with varying colors of pink, blue, and orange-red. It smells aromatic, but not in an artificial way.

"I'll pay half,"

"No."

Silence once more blooms between them. Keeping her eyes moving, Sakura turns to survey the area. Couples lay about leisurely, some even sharing the same sitting area. Although they are inside now, the large skylight several stories above them sends beams of delicious warmth.

"I don't have it on me, though. I will send it to you when I get back to Konoha."

An older couple holds hands by the edge of the pond, watching the fish. Their eyes sparkle. When they turn to look at one another, smiles stretch across their faces. Though she does not know their story, Sakura wonders just how long they've had the honor—the luck to experience such joy and love. She smiles.

"No,"

Back to frowning.

Sasuke enters the glass elevator before Sakura does. Others step in between them and rush to fill in empty space. Her stomach drops as the machine makes its assent. Flying upwards, the levels are simply a blur in Sakura's perception. One area looks like some sort of outlet—she can see the fuzzy hue of lights and signs. The next level is perhaps a chain of restaurants. Working her way through held hands and pressed bodies, Sakura tries to stand closer to Sasuke. Before she can quite make it, the man disappears, leaving a crumpled shopping bag in his place.

...:::*:::...

Naruto looks confused as soon as Sasuke steps into view.

Blinking twice, he finally pushes out a broken sentence as he wiggles his now-empty fingers. "Uh, hey Sasuke…?"

There are some noticeable changes in the twenty-year-old. For one, his thick, spiky hair is only a few inches from his scalp, ridding him of boyish charm. He wears a pair of gray, mid-calf bottoms and an open, bright orange jacket with a hood.

He's taller, now, but not as tall as Sasuke—never as tall as Sasuke. Sasuke smirks.

Hinata walks out of a shop and pauses noticeably. As both men look at her, she bows her head, greeting the new figure respectfully. "Hello, Uchiha Sasuke-san,"

Raising his chin slightly, Sasuke responds to her greeting. He does not offer such respect flippantly. It does not last long.

"I need your help."

With an exaggerated, lengthy sigh, Naruto scratches his head. He's certainly confused as to how Sasuke managed to enter the place. His presence was too laidback to suggest that he'd entered due to an emergency. Whatever Sasuke had explained to the greeter must have been damn convincing.

Naruto looks around.

They're in a busier part of the hotel, where most of the bars and restaurants were. It was too crowded to talk about anything important here. Just around the corner, there was a concert hall with relatively private booths. It would offer them more solitude.

Gesturing towards it, the ninja captures Hinata's hand and leads them away from the bustling environment.

Sasuke walks behind, following the kyuubi with careful steps. While Sasuke was not expecting a joyous reunion or anything of the sort, Naruto was normally quite happy to see him. He was not ignorant to the happenings of newly-weds, but Sasuke took his role as a ninja seriously and knew that Naruto was of the same mindset.

Though he did not like to admit such things…Sasuke felt anxious. Even without the threat of Otsutsuki, it had been a long while since he'd actually cared enough about anyone to try and stop a threat from emerging.

With Sakura and Naruto out of the village, Kakashi was its sole defense. Sasuke was annoyed with his Hokage for wasting Sakura's time on something as menial as an escort mission, and taking her away from her duties as an essential part of Konoha.

It is not lost on him how strange, and how quickly, things could change. Was it not him who had wished for the demise of not only Konoha, but the entire ninja world as it was known?

Sasuke feels the darkness of his chakra flare, hungrily. He does not argue against his conscience.

...:::*:::...

Sakura finds Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata deep within the recesses of a dim dining area.

Her steps are long and fast. She does not want to draw attention to herself but it was impossible to slow down, to let the anger that coiled within remain. Without greeting Naruto, without congratulating Hinata, Sakura slams her empty hand upon the table right in front of Sasuke. Her eyes bore into his.

"Sakura?" Naruto begins.

She disregards him. "You left me."

Sasuke does not show a reaction, does not turn away from her penetrating glare, and does not offer an explanation. The mood of the area had shifted dramatically. The noise causes nearby patrons to turn in their seats.

"You. Left. Me." The woman repeats. She tosses the bag she'd been carrying—assuming it had been Naruto and Hinata's when Sasuke switched places with it. It lands beside her feet noisily.

Since the start of her mission, which was her duty to complete, Sasuke had been curt and inhospitable. She did not expect kind words or sweet smiles—that was not Sasuke. She did expect respect, if not for her, then for her status as Jōnin. Most importantly, of all the hateful and distasteful things he could have chosen to do, ditching her in an elevator alone was…it was…

"You're mean." Tears welled up and her voice sounded gritty. She knew better than to act this way. She was simultaneously demanding respect while making a fool of herself.,"I know you don't care for me, but I am your teammate on this mission and you shouldn't aban—"

Abandon—left behind on that damned stone bench when she couldn't stop him from leaving. She meant nothing to him then, and even less to him now.

They were strangers, after all.

Sakura kicks the table and turns swiftly, leaving the group to cool off.

"We'll head out in the morning. That's the soonest I can do."

Naruto offers another glass of dark whiskey. He'd had several already, but he seemed unaffected in speech or hand. Sasuke wonders if he, too, cannot become inebriated. Orochimaru had put Sasuke through a myriad of torturous training. He was immune to poison, resistant to intoxication, impervious to temptation…

"Now, let's talk about Sakura."

Sasuke slams the liquid back, thankful for the burn at the very least. Sakura.

Days long past, when little more than revenge filled Sasuke's mind, he thought very critically of others. He did not throw praises at anyone who was undeserving. He could recite her Genin stats on command, should anyone ask it. Not her birthday, or her favorite food—nothing personal that might mean he cared for anyone.

In the clutches of his curse, Sasuke thought only of his rivals and his goals. Sakura belonged to neither category.

Something changed when he'd joined cell 7. Somewhere, down the line, she'd become someone he would consider…important. He cared for her wellbeing during missions—was Kakashi paying attention to her? Was Naruto protecting her?

She was the first person who had ever wept for him.

Sasuke closes his eyes, remembering her weight as he'd woken up covered in Haku's senbon. Daylight shone through the clouds, her hair danced upon his skin and her tears were scalding hot. They were for him.

Sakura was nice, and Sasuke was mean.

She was whole and he was broken.

"She cares about you a lot, man. She…well, you know." Naruto continues.

She loves you.

But how was Sasuke supposed to react to that? Appreciation?

Known for their intense emotion, Uchiha had difficulty controlling the absoluteness of hate or anger. Would it not be the same for positive emotion? Would love turn to obsession? Sasuke cannot think of anything crueler.

He did not love her. He also did not want to love her, or anyone else for that matter. He did not know how to.

He could hardly be a friend, for that matter.

There was so much Sasuke needed to atone for. He needed to see the world, study it, and learn how to be a decent human. Sasuke was not a decent human. He was a horrible, neurotic man who constantly tried to untangle the damage that befell him from such an early age.

"I know," He replies steadily, emotionless, though he was neither.

...:::*:::...

Sakura's footfalls matched Hinata's perfectly. They walked, sandals clacking in sync, on the wooden pathway. Making their way towards the greenery that covered the back end of the building, Sakura admired the flowers and their heady scents.

"I'm sorry I am taking Naruto's place," She says. "I know I ruined what little time you both had to spend together. I promise to make it up to you."

Controlling her chakra was far easier than controlling her emotions. Such was her fault.

"We are ninja," Hinata responds with her tender, understanding tone. "Our duties come before all else. We have the rest of our lives to spend together."

Sakura cannot help but smile at this.

Hinata had always liked Naruto. She used to stammer and stutter whenever he simply looked her way. And if the boy spoke to her? Oh, she was out. As the leaves changed and the years spread out before them, between death and war, her feelings never faltered.

"When a girl truly falls in love, her feelings don't change that easily."

Sakura had spoken those words in earnest to her friend not long ago. At the time, they offered Naruto encouragement. Sakura feels like they are a seal now, a curse damning her to this life of longing. No, feelings don't change that easily. No matter how much you may want them to, or how much your friends and family prayed them away.

"As the years pass," Sakura begins, her throat dry. "Now that he's no longer lost, I don't…"

I don't want…

I don't want to love him anymore.

She cannot say the words. Speaking them aloud feels wrong, like the only thing keeping them from being true is her silence.

All Sakura had wanted—had prayed and wished for—was for Sasuke to return. It was why she'd trained, why she had fought as hard as she did. Her love never slipped, never wavered.

Years had come and gone. Everyone was moving on with their lives. Her peers were starting families and taking over the roles of their elders. The story had finished.

Deep down, even knowing she had become nothing to the teammate she so longed for, Sakura did not feel an ounce of regret. She would do it all over again if it meant he would be free from The Curse of Hatred.

The trees beyond rustle, shaking off a few leaves and twigs with every billowing gust. The sun had already started to set, and the shade of gray rain clouds made the evening darker than usual. Sakura crouches, letting her fingertips brush against the petals of Morning Glory flowers that line the walkway. Their bright, yellow faces shift in hue from white to purple, and they all dance just as the trees do.

"Morning glory, unrequited love and obsession," The woman says more to herself than anyone else. She plucks the delicate plant, runs her thumb across its velvety smooth surface, and then crushes it in the palm of her hand.

...:::*:::...

Naruto is in the room when they return. He offers a pitiful half-smile to the two, not bothering to comment on the puffiness of Sakura's eyes. As they settle, with the women sharing a loveseat and Naruto taking his place at the edge of their large, decorative bed, the man speaks.

"I need to leave by sunrise. The information Sasuke has shared with me is…concerning. I think it's worth a look, at the very minimum."

"Information?"

Explaining what Sasuke had not, the kyuubi states that the chakra fluctuations had disturbed the surrounding areas, causing fear and worry. Sasuke felt that, with his Rinnegan, he could open a connection between where this mysterious clan operated and perhaps use that as a pathway to search out the Otsutsuki themselves.

"He would enter by himself?" Sakura asks, not bothering to hide her skepticism and worry. "Who knows how many might be there waiting for him—expecting him."

Naruto shrugs. "I had the same thought. If I don't go, and something becomes of this, it could put everyone in danger. I don't want Sasuke to go against his strict regulations and betray what little trust the Elders have in him now."

Raising his palms up, he beckons Hinata. Her pale hand slides into his. The man kisses her knuckles, an apology. "We will pass by Konoha on our way. We can all travel together, if you don't mind leaving a little early."

"I don't mind," His wife responds in her graceful, airy voice.