Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto

CHAPTER 5 - TAKEAWAY PART 2

This was not the memory they were looking for.

Similarly to the previous one, Sakura was much younger. Sasuke couldn't for the life of him recognize her clothing nor her haircut, therefore he assumed that the remembrance was from during the time he spent with Orochimaru. He didn't really care, but he still noticed that Sakura was older than in the memory they had last seen. Doing quick maths - again, he couldn't care less about anything linked to what they were witnessing - Sasuke deduced that the pink haired medic must have been around fifteen at the time. She looked fairly happy, talking to her mother-

"What is she doing here ?"

Sasuke's head snapped towards the sound of Naruto's voice, the latter gawking in disbelief at the scene playing in his best friend's head, a bewildered expression plastered on his face. A faint hint of irritation was dancing in his eyes.

The raven haired ninja noted fairly alike expressions on Tsunade's and Kakashi's faces. Thinking that Naruto was talking about Sakura, confusion began taking hold of his brain. This was her mind. Of course she was present in it. So why...?

And it hit him. The blond wasn't talking about Sakura. He was speaking about her mother.

A year ago, when Sasuke was a tipsy mess (although he would never admit it) and Sakura the only sober and sain person at Ino's birthday party, they had gone home together and crashed on Sasuke's bed. Sleep hadn't been keen on either of them so they stayed up all night talking about silly things. Until Sasuke mindlessly brought up the family topic and Sakura blanched. She had reluctantly admitted that her parents had left her shortly after he himself went on his avenging journey and that she hadn't seen them since. While she insisted that she was completely fine without them, Sasuke knew she wasn't.

That's why seeing a reminiscence of Sakura and her mother casually talking during the time both were supposed to be far apart - considering what the kunoichi had told him - made Sasuke's anger flare. Sakura would never lie to him. That left only one option : Mebuki had sought her daughter out after cruelly abandoning her, and the conversation ended up hurting Sakura to the point where she would not mention it to Sasuke. Or, visibly, to anyone else.

Sakura did not deserve to be hurt. Sasuke would make sure that nobody with the intention of harming his medic would still be alive to retell it afterwards.

His curiosity (alright, maybe he cared a little) was drawing him back towards the memory unfolding before his eyes. As the Uchiha heir was inspecting both women's facial expressions closely, he could tell something was off. Sakura was happily smiling. Mebuki was crisped.

Their (seemingly) pleasant conversation was coming to an end. Apparently, both women were ready to part ways again - on much better terms this time. Until Mebuki dropped a bomb.

She was caressing her daughter's cheek, an earnest smile on her face as she whispered a single sentence.

"I love you more than anything, sweetie."

Although Mebuki had pronounced it softly, the statement reverberated powerfully in Sakura's mind. In a way or another, those words had clung to her heart and stayed there.

"I love you too, mom."

The answer was calm, with a giddy ring to it. An untrained eye would have thought that mother and daughter were having a good time together, but Sasuke knew better than to assume this. He had been well aware that everything was going to go terribly wrong the moment Mebuki proclaimed her love for her daughter. The dry question that followed was only proving his presumptions.

"That's all ?"

Sakura looked extremely confused. "Huh?"

"You used to reply that you loved me more than anyone in the whole wide world when you were smaller."

All Sasuke could see was the embarrassment painting his teammate's features.

"Ah... well, you see-"

"It's about that boy again isn't it ?" The hating spat emphasizing the word 'boy' had Sakura shrinking in fright and incredulity.

Sasuke could guess where this conversation was going. He just didn't want to.

Sakura's hesitant voice ringed in his ears again. "Boy...? Oh, you mean Sasuke-kun ?"

Mebuki's bitterness was sending chills down Sasuke's spine. Judging from what he was hearing, the Uchiha could tell that by leaving the village and a torn apart Sakura he had indirectly hurt Mebuki, too.

"That Uchiha. He's the one that you love more that anything now isn't he?"

Sasuke could feel four pair of eyes burning on the back of his head at the mention of his name. So the dangerous, palpable electricity in the memory's air was all because of him. It was always him hurting her and her paying the price.

No wonder she had stopped loving him a long time ago.

"C-c'mon mom, can we talk about something else ?"

This was getting bad. Very bad. But they had to witness it. They couldn't run away. Even all of Tsunade's efforts to guard her student's privacy were not getting her anywhere. They were trapped and had to watch.

"No. Where's my little girl gone? The one who loved her parents dearly ? Now, all that love is saved up for someone who doesn't even remember your birthday !!!"

He did.

It didn't matter.

One voice was raising. The other one was pleading.

"Mom, let's talk about-"

"I'm not finished ! You are wasting your life, wasting your youth on a filthy brat like that bastard ! If you continue being blinded by his looks," Mebuki was panting as this point, "I will hook you up with the Hyuuga heir and your life will be perfect again !!"

No response. Dead silence.

"Dear ?"

SLAP.

The sound sickeningly resonated. Sasuke was astonished. He could clearly see Mebuki's shocked expression behind the protective hand covering her bruised cheek.

And the tiniest glow of chakra flickering in Sakura's palm.

She was beyond furious.

"How dare you ?" The harsh whisper was so quiet that Sasuke had to strain his ears to actually hear it.

"W-what ? Sakura... sweetie ?"

The roles were reversed. Sakura was terrifying, and Mebuki was terrified.

The tension was finally released as Sakura yelled her lungs out at her mother's face.

"HOW DARE YOU ASK UNYIELDING LOVE FROM ME WHEN YOU LEFT ME TO FEND FOR MYSELF AT TWELVE YEARS OLD BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO SEE THE WHOLE FUCKING WORLD AND COUDLN'T BOTHER TO BRING YOUR ONE AND ONLY CHILD ?!"

Sakura was breathing heavily, fists clenched and face flushed from the seething anger burning through her veins.

"WHEN YOU BEAR A KID, YOU FUCKING ASSUME THE CONSEQUENCES ! WHY DID YOU EVEN HAVE ME IF YOU WEREN'T READY ?! YOU WERE TOO FUCKING OLD, AND YOU STILL ARE !"

Sakura had once confessed that due to her parents' age, she had spent most of her childhood without them. The look she had that day had hinted at a profound guilt, but Sasuke hadn't found it in him to press the issue. It was her problem anyway.

Sakura was trembling, hesitating. She didn't want to talk about it. Not her family issues. She didn't have to subtly change topics - to one that angered her even more - for Sasuke to guess that.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, INSULTING HIM WHEN YOU KNOW NOTHING ?! HE LEFT THE VILLAGE !! YOU ABANDONED ME !!!SO BADMOUTH ME ALL YOU WANT BUT NEVER EVER SAY THOSE HORRIBLE THINGS ABOUT SASUKE-KUN AGAIN !!!"

Said man had never seen his pink haired teammate so mad. Mebuki was petrified, eyes wide, visibly as horrified as the unfortunate five spectators intruding Sakura's mind.

Sakura only raised her voice that high with Naruto, and it usually wasn't on the same level of furiousness. The medic hardly ever yelled at her mother, let alone slapped her.

Calming down a little, Sakura continued her heartfelt speech in a more measured voice.

"I do not love Sasuke-kun for his looks. Sure, he's physically attractive, but he's more than just that. He's a brilliant, amazingly smart man with an inspiring drive, he protects and cares for his beloved ones so, so much, his placid attitude is like a soothing balm, he gives his best at everything he does, and the list could go on and on for hours. But most importantly, he tries. He tries to talk more, he tries to smile, he tries to open up, to show his emotions. For us, he tries. And that's something you will never do." The neutral look that Sakura sent her mother's way was only a facade. Sasuke could easily see the cracks and the bits of sadness and regret - for what, he didn't know - pouring behind her mask. "Someone once told me that when you love, it's for life. You cannot fall out of love."

The pointed look was back. This time, there was no mask, no neutral expression. Just one message. I will never stop loving him.

That's when Mebuki seemed to regain her composure and the use of her tongue to cry out one last time, her one last chance of winning her daughter back. Sasuke could read on her face like an open book. She wanted to tell Sakura that she was ruining her life by staying loyal to him. And so much more.

The only sentence that brutally choked out of her mouth was coming straight from a mother's tormented heart.

"YOUR HEART IS NOT FOR TAKEWAY, SAKURA !!"

...

for... takeaway... ?

Sasuke almost jumped at the kunoichi's thoughts echoing hesitantly inside her head.

Time appeared to pause as Sakura's eyes widened for a split second, her lips parting like she desperately wanted to reply, before it closed again, replaced by a genuine, sad smile. Time stretched, her smile gracing the universe by it's melancholic gleam.

"It belongs to Uchiha Sasuke and there's nothing I can do to change it."

Sasuke sucked in a sharp breath. He had promised himself not to let anything she would say phase him. This was a memory. A remembrance. From the past. She didn't love him anymore. But the way his heart clenched and ached to hear her pronounce those words again proved that he hadn't respected his promise. His heart rate steadily slowed as the tortured boy shut his eyes tight and washed away her words. He didn't care. Couldn't care.

Opening his eyes again, Sasuke caught a glimpse of Sakura's beam as she walked away from her mother. He was momentarily mesmerized by the truthiness composing it. Mebuki, for her part, was utterly speechless.

"It was nice seeing you again, mom. Oh, and before I leave! Neji is already planning to propose to his girlfriend. Won't tell you her name, in case you might want to break them apart, too."

The not-so-subtle stab wasn't necessary, and Sasuke almost pitied the poor mortified mother standing aghast, visibly unable to form coherent thoughts.

This memory was even worse than the one they had first encountered. Sasuke didn't know what it would do to his relationship with Sakura later on. However, there was one thing he was absolutely certain of.

As he woke up in Sakura's hospital room, Sasuke didn't bother checking if everybody was listening to him, voicing his certitude out loud.

"The memory-loop jutsu is trapping Sakura's mind in a continuous cycle of pain."

He had proof. The memory they had just seen was not entirely a bad one. And most of all, the Uchiha could feel the pain that Sakura had felt when she lived the moment that she was remembering.

Although this time, it wasn't a thousand needles piercing his stomach.

A dull ache was sorely tugging at his heart.

A sigh escaped Tsunade's lips. "Before we even start speculating again..." Her voice sounded exhausted. "There are two things I need to make clear. First, I personally asked Yaiwaka-san to bring us back to reality. I know we originally planned to explore more memories this time, and we will. But there are a few things we need to discuss... out of Sakura's head. Secondly..."

She hesitated.

"What we just saw... never mention it again."

She was right.

"Sakura didn't tell anyone, not even me, about this encounter. This is her privacy. She wouldn't want us rummaging inside her head and completely ignoring her intimacy. From now on, whatever we will see that is not relevant to our search of a cure and culprit, pretend that it never happened. Pretend that you never saw anything. I am aware I cannot ask you to ignore and forget her private memories, but I command you to keep secrecy. Never speak about it again. Not even to Sakura herself. "

Reluctant and tired, she added "Please."

Naruto and Kakashi nodded, Hizoshi sputtered a loud "O-of course!" and Sasuke merely grunted.

"Back to the matter at hands. Uchiha, you're right. Sakura is reviving old pain."

At this, Tsunade clenched her hand over her heart and threw a disapproving look towards Sasuke. She blamed him. Ever since his return to Konoha, the Hokage and the Uchiha heir hardly got along. In fact, Tsunade despised him with a passion.

Grimly but fiercely, the sake addict started distributing orders, facing each one of the ninjas and rooting her eyes in theirs. "We need to adjust to the new situation. Our counter jutsu may not work, therefore we will need to do some research. I'll be in charge of that, since my rank offers me access to more documents. Naruto, Kakashi and Uchiha. Your mission is to find as many leads as possible. We have to go in Sakura's mind again. Everything works. Remember, we have to sacrifice Sakura's privacy to save her. Don't hold back because you think a lead might be too inappropriate. Yaiwaka-san. You will help me with research and try to improve whatever you have that could be helpful to us."

"Hai !"

"We need a break. You have until dawn to start your respective researches. I expect you to come back here with promising results."

Not losing time in pointless frivolities, everybody left the hospital determined to simply find something.

Anything.

When Sakura's surgeon checked her vitals as dawn began to lazily settle in, he was pleasantly surprised to see that her heartbeat had slowed to a steady rate.

Until he went out of her room and her heart monitor emitted a long, sickening beep.

She was late. It was well past dawn when Tsunade finally arrived in front of the hospital building, sweating and panting from her sprint. Some civilian had come to her to complain about his neighbor's freaking chickens, that were - what had he said ? Ah, yes - breathing fire, and successfully halted her research - as well as making her late.

Here she was, gasping for air, fuming, and glaring at the ground as if it had offended her entire bloodline.

Would the civil's neighbor care if she slaughtered one or two of his flaming chicks ?

Regaining her composure, Tsunade made her way into the hospital with feigned dignity. Halfway through the corridor leading to the emergency treatments wing, she froze.

She could recognize the shuffle of doctors and surgeons and the panicked voices accompanying the rumble of machines anywhere she went.

She knew that sound too well. Exactly what it meant.

"SAKURA !!"

Forgetting her bad mood, replacing it with sheer fear, the Hogake bolted towards her student's hospital room.

She wasn't late.

She was too late.