"Where is Mugol?" Sakura asked.
"Far, far away, just on the outskirts of the land of fire, where it borders the mountains," he explained simply, continuing his work and packing up what few things he still had here in the village. What few things he actually cared about, more accurately. One of those few things then piped up, surprising him.
"Can I come with you?" she asked plainly. The thought stunned him. There was so much to be done here at home with rebuilding after all, and with her healing, the village would certainly miss her! It was a cruel, selfish part of him that prompted his reply.
"Would you? I mean, the hospital and…everything,"
"I'm not the only healer in the village Sasuke, they'll manage," she gently argued, looking up at him from the couch where she sat. She'd taken a seat as soon as he offered it, sat peacefully as he went about his last day here in the place of his birth. The apartment he'd been using since the destruction that shook his home was humble. Sakura's presence there felt natural. Familiar.
It would hurt to not see her again. The dobe and her were about the only two people he was going to miss from this place, but he was going to miss them powerfully. He had expected as much anyway.
"I can't ask you to leave everything just to come with me,"
"You didn't," she teased dryly. "I want to,"
"That's… I would love it if you came, Sakura," he admitted, averting his eyes as her smile became sickeningly sweet. Breaking his focus to keep himself from showing any embarrassing emotions. The small smile he gave her was enough.
More than she'd seen from him in years, if nothing else, a beautiful site, one that made the regal, stoic man look almost soft. It made the frustratingly handsome man handsome in a whole other way, cute even. Their relationship finally seemed to be growing, deepening; she couldn't let him go halfway across the world now! There was no woman closer to him; the childish, girly future she'd envisioned her whole life was finally on the verge of becoming a reality and it looked even better than she'd imagined!
His worst qualities were beginning to fade, and a stoic kindness was beginning to grow in him. Oh, he said he was just trying to redeem himself, to give something back to the world, but the heart of it remained the same. There were suffering people in the world, and he wanted to help them. Sasuke's goals had shifted from revenge to altruism ,and she wanted to be there to keep him on that path.
"What do you expect to do there?" she asked, trying to steer away from the heavier, more emotional topic that she knew he struggled with.
"Whatever I can do to help, more likely than not, I'll just be moving rocks. Part of the reason the village is in such shambles is the mine that was the center of their industry got ruined in a rock slide during the whole… incident. The climax of the war," he clarified. "I can do the work of a few dozen men with my clones. If nothing else at least my presence will offer them some security, won't have to worry about bandits or raiders or rogue, unemployed ninja,"
"Except for the two they're letting right in!" Sakura added cheerily. "Assuming they do let me in," she added as an afterthought.
"I don't think a woman who can mend grievous injuries with a literal wave of her hands is unwelcome anywhere, certainly not now," he assured, even keeping his smile. Keeping it all the way to the village gates as a matter of fact. Sakura didn't even swing by her home. Neither mentioned it, but they both knew the implications. The fact that she'd already said goodbye to everyone, already packed what she needed for an extended mission, that she already knew that he would accept her company.
The fact that she'd never intended for this visit today to just be seeing him off.
It touched his heart.
Leaving the village at noon left them with plenty of time for chit-chat, though the intimacy of their isolation left both relatively nervous. Mostly because of the question Sakura dared ask after they ran out of small talk. After he'd told her every scrap of information gleamed from the letters he exchanged with the village headman, every detail about the home he was being given to use, every small,, inconsequential thing they'd miss about home. Sakura had asked one question of some seriousness.
"How long do you think you're going to stay there?"
"I don't know. Hell, maybe forever if I like it well enough,"
"Oh really? You're even gonna take a wife and rebuild your clan in some civilian village a thousand miles from nowhere?" the teasing remark had made him blush faintly, which in turn made her inner self squeal. All the same, she decided not to push it, to stay quiet, and that silence lingered. Now it was painfully awkward, so much so that she jumped briefly when he declared he was going to go catch them some fish.
The sun was beginning to set and the air was growing colder, still, it was early to make camp. It made her worry that he was desperate to get away from her, to claim solitude, and she was 100% correct in this theory. Not that Sasuke was upset with her in any way.
He just needed some time alone with his thoughts. The question she'd asked brought forth questions he'd told himself were safe to set aside, worries he could tuck away in the back corners of his mind for years. After all he didn't deserve a wife, let alone a family. His quest for redemption had to come first, but now Sakura was joining him on it, the woman he loved more then any other on the planet was here with him. More likely then not, she'd be thrilled to have him start his 'clan restoration' project at the same time as he worked to help others.
It made her very presence unsettling.
He was bombarded with thoughts he'd been able to squash since he grew out of being a horny teenager. Thoughts about her wide, womanly ass. About that sweet smile, fair face, and strikingly beautiful emerald eyes. The uniquely gorgeous pink locks on her head. To say nothing of who she was; of the incredible warrior, doctor, and person he had somehow attracted.
Why?
Was it just physical attraction, what else was there to love about him? Such a flimsy support couldn't carry a relationship stable enough to have children, but was that really all there was? Yeah, they'd been to hell and back together, they knew each other to a depth few but comrades ever could attain, but so what? It seemed like knowing and understanding him more would make a woman less inclined to want him.
There were certainly fewer suitors in the village now, after all he'd done.
He'd been dragging his feet for far too long. With a short blast of electric energy at the surface of the water, a dozen odd little black shadows spasmed, went limp, and floated upward. Fish weren't his favorite, but it was by far the easiest thing for him to catch, and besides, it was healthier than meat. Gathering them didn't take much time at all either; Sakura had only just finished building the fire by the time he returned.
Piking them over the fire made for a quick preparation, and with the small bits of salt and spice he'd packed, the meal was half decent. Aside from a short thanks, the gentle cackling of the fire was the only noise as he cooked the simple meal. Rice from his pack filled out the calories and didn't take any longer than the fish to prepare, but it was still an excuse to focus on something else.
It wasn't until the meal was finished and served that he asked another question.
Anything was better than this suffocating, silent tension.
"Sakura, can I ask you something serious?"
"Of course," she agreed, smiling sweetly with only a flicker of concern in her eyes.
"Why did you come with me? Why do you want anything to do with me?" he asked, his eyes uncharacteristically vulnerable as the inky black pools looked into hers.
"We've been friends practically our whole lives, Sasuke. I love you," she said, tone casual enough to know it wasn't a full-blown romantic confession, though the words did leave a faint pink blush on her cheeks. He saw it, even in the rapidly darkening evening. That actually helped; the darkness, strange as it sounds, gave him a feeling of security. Maybe it's why he was so blunt with his response.
"Why? Why the hell would you love me, even platonically? What do I possibly have to offer you?"
"Sasuke…. it's not about what you offer!" she rebutted, thrown off guard. "I care about you because we're bonded. I've seen you survive so much, suffer so much; I just…. want to see you better. I want you to be secure and happy. I-I want to help you be happy," her words grew sheepish as her gaze averted from him.
"You truly have a healer's heart, Sakura," he said without thinking, cringing at the way her face went red and ten times more at the heat he could feel in his own cheeks.
"Stuff like that; it's what you offer. Seeing you more vulnerable, seeing you open up, or smile, it makes me so happy. It makes me feel speical to have a connection like that with you,"
Sasuke shook his head whimsically, almost like he was refusing her answer.
"You could have that with anyone; you actually make the people around you better. You're kind and caring, brave… inspiring," he admitted, even as he shrank further in on himself, staring at the dirt below rather than meet her eyes.
"Sasuke…Sasuke look at me, please," she gently requested, no longer smiling when his eyes rose to hers. "You're plenty inspiring too; I just- if that's all true, why are you trying to convince me to go?"
"I'm not,"
"You are," she gently argued. "Why?"
"…because I don't deserve you?" he half asked. "I don't deserve friendship or love or even companionship, not after all the evil I've put into this world, all the people I hurt. After I nearly killed you,"
"Well… you have no right to tell me where to go either," she argued, forcing a small smile. "If I want to be here with you, who are you to judge?"
That earned a soft laugh.
"I am glad you want to be here with me. I…. I hope I didn't give you the wrong idea today. You coming along with me was a wonderful surprise, and you being there with me will make my life-" he swallowed his sentence, not knowing how to end it. "I'm happy you're here,"
"Sasuke…"
"SASUKE!" a voice called from maybe ten yards away, startling both of them powerfully. His whole body cringed inward in horror at the thought of this intimate moment being invaded, and not less so because he recognized the voice. "Sasuke!"
It was growing closer.
Of course she was; it wasn't as if they were being stealthy! To any half-competent Genin, their campfire might as well have been a beacon. How did she know he was out of the village, though? How the hell did she find him out in the wilderness!? Sakura looked no more pleased, looking at the dread growing across his brow, but she greeted the woman with a polite smile as she emerged from the foliage.
"Uh, Karin, right?" she asked.
"Last I checked, wonderful to see you, Sakura," she offered before turning her undivided attention to the man across from her. "Sasuke, it's so great to see you!"
"Karin," he greeted simply. "What are you doing out here?"
"Well, I heard you were going on another big adventure and I just had to come tag along! It's not like I have much else going on anymore," she justified.
"I'm going to go help Mugol rebuild, it's an isolated mining village bordering the land of stone. It's hardly an adventure; I don't even expect combat," he argued.
"Oh wow, that's practically a vacation then," she declared, taking a seat on the log by him and helping herself to a fish without asking for either. "I'm sure some town in the boonies could use another healer, right?"
"That's why I'm going, actually," Sakura interjected, the mighty rage she carried just starting to bubble as she locked eyes with the redhead. Karin just grinned cheekily, holding her gaze for a moment. Then she turned right back to the Uchiha.
"I'm sure some town in the boonies could use a couple healers, right?"
"Probably," he admitted, earning a sad look from Sakura that made his chest ache. Still, it's not as though he could just tell Karin to leave. Not without making himself feel ten times as bad at least. Besides, what was the real harm, aside from some annoyance on the road in? He could always insist she stay somewhere separate after they arrived; the village wasn't even expecting two, a third might well make the new home far too crowded!
It was enough of an excuse for him anyway.
"I'm going to bed," he excused himself.
"Can I share your tent? I only brought a sleeping roll," Kain asked with a playful pout.
"I think it'd make more sense for you to share with Sakura, if you really need one," he deadpanned, turning around without waiting for an answer. He'd had enough conversation for the day. Enough emotions too; it left his mind utterly exhausted and ready for sleep.
Retreating into his only shelter from the two ladies was an unspeakable relief.
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