Clash Chpt 11! Enjoy!
Unstable
They needed to move the process along, yet she was just standing there. It's been about a second or two since she checked her nails, a minute before she scratched her head, and three since she's last moved her foot. He didn't know what was going on.
"Sasuke, what the hell is she doing?" Moving to a crouching position on the ledge, Sasuke shook his head.
"I don't know—Wait, she's moving her hands through—"
"28 hand seals, Sakura stop!" He couldn't move. Turning his head sharply, He found Katsumi pointing her sword again. "Snap out of it!" He was yelling at the top of his lungs now. She couldn't use that jutsu. She was going to kill them all, and no one could stop her. Not in that state.
"Kill us, Pinkie." He watched in horror as Sakura's outstretched hands started to rise above her head. Pieces of earth from either side of the bridge started to pull from its roots.
"Sakura stop!" His muscles burning now, he tried to plead with her.
"Where were you, Kakashi? Where were all of you? I cried every day for you to come, but you never came! You never came!" Tears running down her eyes, more and more pieces of dirt gathered around the Grass ninja.
"Sakura, we came! Sasuke, check her chakra flow!" He couldn't pull up his hitai-ate; he couldn't move. And even if Sasuke saw that her chakra flow was disturbed, what could they do? She would have to pull out of it on her own. Shifting his eyes to their side of the bridge, he saw Naruto was gone. Good.
"It's disturbed, Kakashi." Still, he couldn't do anything with that information. Not until Ino came.
"Faster, Leaf Ninja! Kill us!" Ino appeared from the brush when Sakura's dirt encased the two ninja.
"The rest of you, leave! Ino, hurry!" He saw her fingers make the seal for her Mind Transfer Technique and only Nao and Katsumi ran.
"She's not there, Kakashi. I can't persuade her to do anything. Whatever those Grass Ninja did, they made her subconscious take over." Kakashi jumped off of the bridge and ran to Sakura. Shaking her shoulders, he tried to snap her out of it.
"Come on, Sakura. Let them go." The two semi-innocent Grass ninja covered in a case of dirt and roots. If he stopped her now, they would still suffocate.
"Why weren't you there, Kakashi? I wanted you…so bad…to be there." She made her hands into fists.
"But I'm here now." She closed her eyes as he continued to shake her.
"Earth Prison." She whispered. Kakashi's eyes widened as he watched the dirt around the two grass ninja spray around them. He felt most of it on his face, while some fell on his arms and uniform. But the dirt was mud now, and the mud had the ninja's blood in it. Sakura fell to her knees.
"Sakura." He sighed and bent over to pick her up.
"It's over Kakashi. The pain's gone…"
"Who's that?"
"That's Watanabe Ren, Tsunade-sama."
"Well, why is he here?"
"He was assigned as a liaison between the two countries, Tsunade-sama." She placed a hand on her eyes and sighed.
"Hokage-sama," Ren bowed.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Debrief me." Folding her arms on her desk, she propped her chin up on them. Six o'clock. Pretty early, but Tsunade had way too many drinks in the afternoon. Retiring to her residence early, she got as much sleep as could be expected of Hokage who are always on duty.
"We got to the bridge at about eleven. Nao and Katsumi got across it with no problems." She exhaled a breath.
"Oh. Well that's good. I thought—"
"But,"
"Damn it."
"Sakura wasn't moving for a while. Well, she was moving, but just little things. Like, shifting on her feet, checking her nails, that type of thing." Kakashi said as he put his hands in his pockets.
"Then she started to move her hands through 28 hand seals." Sasuke finished. Tsunade closed her eyes.
"You mean that jutsu that I told you not to let her use unless in dire situations." She drawled out.
"That one, Tsunade-sama." Kakashi pointed out. "But, I think they put her under a genjutsu, because whatever brought her to use it, we didn't see any of it. But they used a jutsu on Sasuke and I that made us unable to move. Like in the last mission where Sakura was captured." Tsunade ran a hand through her hair.
"I saw Katsumi put something on her sword, then when she pointed it at Sasuke and Kakashi, I went to get back-up. But I only brought Ino. I thought she could probably get Sakura out of whatever they put her under."
"I used the Mind Transfer Technique to try to psyche her out of it. But it was weird…Sakura was unconscious, so I couldn't really do anything."
"I told the rest of them to run. If they didn't, Nao and Katsumi would've been dead also." Tsunade looked up.
"She was that gone?" Kakashi nodded.
"When she left, we were able to move again. I tried to shake her out of it, but it was like she was reliving her memories…or nightmares. Either way, she killed two of the ninja that were there. And we didn't get the scroll." Tsunade's head was hidden by her blond hair and her arms. There was inaudible muttering, but most of them heard the swear words that were coming out of her mouth. It wasn't long after that, that she raised her head and held her chin by her upturned palm.
"Great. You know, I've been considering dishonorably discharging the four of you for a while." Naruto gasped.
"Why, baa-chan?" She rolled her eyes.
"You're a threat to the political well-being of our Village. But then again, we need your military strength. More importantly, I need a successor. And I'm not going to let the Hatake's special chakra die out or the Uchiha eyes end with him. Hopefully somewhere along the line, Sakura will get an apprentice or some—Where's Sakura?" Stopping her pervious rant, she started to look around the room for her pink-haired apprentice.
"Well, they uh, checked her into the Hospital." Tsunade's eyes widened.
"What happened?" Kakashi scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Oh, nothing happened to her physically, per say."
"Nothing happened to her physically…then why is she in the Hospital?" He cleared his throat.
"She was checked into the, uh…Mental Health Wing." Her head falling back to the desk, she sighed.
"Kakashi, I'll leave that to you. And your next mission is being postponed for a week. The Daimyo said they pushed the Wedding back. Watanabe, find yourself a place to stay. I'm going to bed." Pushing herself out of her chair, she stood and walked around the desk. They saw she was wearing a short night gown and heels.
It was then Kakashi noticed his Hokage had killer legs in her old age.
"Since you're Sakura's boyfriend, I'll give you a spare key." Ren smiled. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed.
"Are you sure you want to do that, Naruto? I mean…Sakura's going to freak." Naruto shrugged.
"They obviously know each other. What's the worst that could happen?" Naruto signaled his exit with a wave and Ren not following too far behind. Sasuke left next, and Kakashi set about going to a Wing he's never even seen before.
"I don't think that's such a good idea."
"And why is that?"
"She's…not very stable at the moment. She restricted all visitors."
"I'm an exception." Luckily, the nurse had told him her room number before getting into it. But then again, what was that supposed to mean? Not very stable? Sakura was fine when they were in Grass. Aside from killing two ninja, not getting the Peace Treaty, and trying to choke Naruto before being put to sleep, she was pretty okay to him. So they had to sedate her. So she woke up and was a bit disoriented. She's Sakura. It'll all blow over by tomorrow. Hopefully.
Walking down another nameless hallway, he started taking in the scenery. The Mental Health Wing was really depressing. There was hardly any color added to the walls or paintings, and all patients were inside their own rooms. Nurses in this Wing, instead of wearing the usual white lab coat, theirs was a grayish color. There were no flowers, desks, or any sharp or breakable objects.
Sakura doesn't belong here.
When they got back to the Village, Ino insisted she be checked into the Hospital. Just to make sure that she was alright. They were sitting in the waiting room when a nurse came out and claimed that Sakura tried to stab a few of them and she continued to yell 'Who won now, Grass bastards?' over and over again. That was about four hours ago. Either way, before Sakura passed out, she told him that the pain is gone. Meaning, she may have a few relapses, but she's going to go back to her regular sleeping, eating, and angry self. He smiled at that.
Upon finding the room he was looking for, he found out that in the Mental Wing, they don't put the patient's charts outside of the door. He would probably be disturbed if he stumbled across the wrong room, and when looking for Sakura's charts, found someone else's. A lot of ninja from Anbu get sent here, and he does not want to read those. He turned the knob and pushed open the door.
"Sakura? Are you in here?" She wasn't on the bed, and the room was in dim light.
"No," Hearing her voice from a corner, he found it best to take a seat a little ways away from her. Not that he was scared, no. He just didn't want to get stabbed any time soon.
"It's Kakashi." He heard a snort. Like he said, it'll all blow over.
"I know who you are." Nodding, he got up from the bed and moved to sit on the round desk. Just a bit closer to her, but still not in her arm's reach.
"Why'd they put you in here?" He asked her in soothing tones, much like how you would address a rabid animal about to strike.
"You were there earlier, Kakashi. 'Her life's been a total train wreck. I knew she was going to snap sooner or later.'" She said, mocking one of her underlings. "I'm insane now. They put it in the archives. I saw them do it too, the bastards." He chuckled lightly.
"But Sakura, you're not insane." The single light coming from the bathroom hit her face when she turned her head from facing the wall.
"Look at me, you stupid man." Maybe she is insane, He thought as she started to sniff. It would surely explain her abnormal moods and her tendency to walk out before an argument got heated. And why she tried to kill him and Naruto, of course.
"What?" He reached over and turned on the lamp behind her. He raised an eyebrow at her getup.
"They put me in a stupid, stupid straightjacket, Kakashi!" Looking at her from head to toe, he found all of her sharp objects and weapons were removed. He saw that her shoes were made of rubber, and her hair was tied back into a bun.
"Why would they do that? Especially since you can get out of it." He was sure Sakura wasn't that dangerous when she was first put on his team as a genin. Now looking at her, in the next lifetime, he'll surely think twice. She was in a full bodysuit. Belts and buckles decorated her body and her arms were secured around her. They even went as far as to put a muzzle on her mouth. Now that, was attractive. But she probably bit one of the nurses. He knows he told her at least once before about her biting problem.
"I know. But I can't get out of these." He could almost hear her pout as she started to fidget in her kneeled position.
"Why not?" She nodded to her body.
"You see those shiny things on my shoulders, abdomen and waist?" He nodded. "Those are chakra restraints. If I try to use it, it'll shock me. I'll pass out for at least three hours…minimum." He hummed.
"What did you do to get the muzzle?"
"Biting,"
"Ah." He heard another sniff. What was up with her moods?
"You want to know the worst part?" He really didn't, but he saw that she could still move her legs. Maybe someday when he loses his mind, he'll think about continuing the Hatake line. He needs a reproductive system to do that, though.
"Humor me." Her head dropped.
"Even if the war does come, I can't fight in it. I'll be sitting in my home, while you go fight the war we started!" He shook his head.
"That's really sad, Sakura." She looked up.
"What? That I can't fight alongside you?" He chuckled.
"True, but no."
"Then what?"
"That you're worried about fighting in the war more than your own wellbeing." She slumped.
"Remember, I'm classified as 'Mentally Unstable' now. In other words, legally insane." He frowned.
"Don't use that to your advantage." He heard laughter come from her muzzle. It sounded kind of distorted to him.
"Anyways, can you tell Naruto I'm sorry?"
"For choking him?"
"Yeah,"
"No." Her head jerked back.
"Why not?" It was his turn to laugh. But he did it in the form of a light chuckle.
"Sakura, you hardly ever apologize to anyone." He saw her eyebrows furrow.
"Do too! I apologize to you all the time, because you refuse to do the same. I apparently care about our friendship more than the other counterpart." He frowned and placed a hand on his knee.
"That's not true." Then he heard her sigh.
"Could you get me out of here? It's depressing in this wing. I've been in this position for too long, and I can't seem to get up. I want to sleep at home tonight, if you please." Sleep. That word jogged his memory.
"Sakura, we need to talk." She visibly tensed at the word, though he wasn't too pepped up about their talk, either.
"About what?" He sighed and ran a hand through his silver locks. Once back at his knee, he started.
"I know you Sakura. And I don't want you to suffer. I know when you're down, or when something's just not right. This is one of those times, so talk."
"Where do you go every morning, Kakashi?" She replied in clipped tones.
"This isn't about me." Her eyes narrowed.
"Don't try to make me confide in you, when you won't even do the same." He sighed. He knew it was going to come to this. She's stubborn. And if it's not today that he gets her to come clean, then it'll be the next.
"Sakura—"
"Remember what I said, Kakashi. If you tell me your demons, I'll tell you mine." Another sigh. "Now could you turn on your boyish charm and tell the nurse to let me out of here? Make sure she knows that you'll keep a keen eye on me tonight." He raised an eyebrow.
"Will I really?"
"Oh no. I've had enough of you guys. Just clear me for release." He stood and walked to the door. Hand on the knob, he turned his head to address her.
"This talk isn't over, Sakura."
She deposited her pack and sandals at the door. Stretching her arms behind her back, her head turned sharply when she heard faint noises from behind the kitchen wall. There's only one person who has a spare key to her house, and that's Naruto. He would've heard her come in, and he wouldn't have tried to stay quiet about it. Besides, she's recognized Naruto's chakra signature a million times over. Even if he was trying to mask it or hide, she would've found him out by the slightest of movements. Sasuke wouldn't come here and hide, and she just walked Kakashi home.
She had an intruder, and she wasn't too happy about it.
Quietly knocking on the wall by the door, she pulled out her bat. Sakura tiptoed to the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room and leaned against it. She waited to hear another noise and she wasn't disappointed.
"Cha!" Swinging the bat from the right, she hit her perpetrator in the back.
"Damn it! Sakura?" But then he turned around. She almost felt guilty. That's why people don't sneak into her home. They could end up like this.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Eating. I'm famished. What're you doing here?" She threw her bat to the ground. Her hands went to her hips.
"Ren! I mean, why are you in my home. And why didn't you say anything when I came in?" He smiled.
"I was eating. By the way, are you hungry? I picked this up on my way." She smacked the box that he pushed in front of her. Wait…Was that Tempura?
"You didn't answer." She saw him take another bite. Her mouth started to water.
"Well, I didn't have a place to stay, so the kid named Naruto gave me a spare." Reaching into his pocket and pulling out a key, he dangled it in his fingers. Sakura snatched it away.
"That doesn't mean you're staying here." Another bite. Her stomach grumbled.
"Hokage's orders. I didn't bring any money with me, and all I have is the clothes in my pack, so…" She huffed.
"You're taking the couch."
"No."
"Then sleep on the floor."
"You're actually getting colder, babe." She raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not sleeping on the bed with you." He smirked.
"Then you can take the couch." She frowned.
"This is my house." He smacked himself on the forehead.
"Where are my manners today? You can take the couch, my lady." Rolling her eyes as he bowed, she moved to take the takeout box away from him. He pulled it back further.
"Give me some," He smiled wickedly.
"Can I stay?" She crossed her arms over her chest.
"No."
"Sorry, Sakura. I'm kind of digging this Tempura shrimp. See, they even gave me some fried vegetables. No charge." She sighed and put on a sweet smile.
"Can I please have some?" He didn't buy it. It always worked with Naruto…and her dad.
"Let me sleep on the bed."
"I'll starve then." She walked out of the kitchen and took a seat on her couch. She leaned forward to pick up her mail and started to sort through the junk and bills. She felt a body move in close to her and fought the urge to smile. He tried to use the old 'I'll yawn and secretly put my arm around you', but she scooted over a seat.
"Alright. New tactics. I'll give you the Tempura if you kiss me." Turning her face only slightly, she backed out of reach when his lips touched her ear.
"That's not happening." She said with a laugh. He gave her a lopsided smile and made a move to nuzzle her neck. She put a hand on his face. "Nao told me about you."
"Oh really." He moved the takeout box to the coffee table and let his arms lye over the top of the couch. He parted his legs. He really looked like he owned it.
"Yes. He said you're no good, and I shouldn't get seduced by your pretty face." He laughed.
"Nao said that? Figures." She frowned.
"Figures what?"
"He just doesn't want me to touch you while he's away." She started to play with her mesh shirt.
"What's wrong with you and Nao? I thought you two were friends." He scoffed.
"Friends? Me and him? More like enemies." She turned her head.
"Why?" His hand moved to scratch the back of his head.
"Nao and I…we don't like each other. I guess we were friends at first. He's in the tactics division, and I'm an interrogator, so we would have to meet eventually." He sighed and closed his eyes. "I was 26 at the time, he was 23. Somewhere along the line, his sister, Naomi, got a crush on me. But she was 19. We had a casual fling, but I told her no sex. I didn't want to…she was still a bit young, you know?" Sakura nodded. He rubbed a hand over his face.
"Then what happened?"
"Well, we had sex. She was a virgin, but it was too late when I found out. She told me she loved me, and I told her it couldn't go further than that. She ran and told Nao that I raped her. He wouldn't believe me, but I can't blame him. It was his sister. It went downhill from there. He sees me as a womanizer. Most of that is my fault though. I stole some of his women, but that's it."
She was right. He wasn't as bad as Nao pictured him to be. It was his sister. And she understood, he had to stick up for her, even if that was his friend. But then again, Ren stealing his women was wrong. But then again, it wasn't Ren's fault that he was a pretty boy. She sighed and reached for the takeout box only for him to snatch it away again.
"Are you going to let me eat, or not?" He smiled and picked up the deep-fried shrimp with his fork. Only for him to put half of it in his mouth.
"Eat it." He said with the shrimp's tail sticking out of his mouth.
"I don't like the tail." He turned the shrimp around. Now the head was sticking out of his mouth.
"Eat it." She frowned.
"Your mouth's been all over it," She pointed to the wetness of the head. He shrugged.
"You've been in my mouth before." She frowned. It's just not very hygienic to stick that in her mouth.
"I'll just take the other piece." Pulling the box onto her lap, she found with disappointment that there were only fried vegetables left. Closing it in resignation, she leaned over and bit a piece off. She hummed in pleasure as she chewed. It was weird…the shrimp had a bit of a minty aftertaste…
She saw he still didn't chew his piece.
"That's going to get soggy." She pointed to his mouth.
"Then eat it," His voice muffled from the food between his teeth.
"Umm…I'd rather not."
"Please?"
"Ren, I really don't want—don't do that." His fingers removed themselves from under her thigh.
"Sakura, my tongue is getting dry. Take it." Sighing, she leaned forward and took the rest of the head. She started to chew.
"Are you happy now?" He swallowed and wiped the crumbs off of his mouth.
"Not really." She groaned.
"What now?" He licked his lips and moved closer.
"I want…to kiss you…" A thin, pink eyebrow rose.
"We haven't even discussed your living arrangements and you're already focused on my lips." He crawled towards her. It wasn't that big of a couch. He didn't have far to go before his hands were pressed down on either side of her. She started to laugh nervously.
"That jacket…have you been taking my stuff?" He whispered breathily.
"No…this is mine. I…this was…customized—would you back up a bit?" He pressed his forehead against hers.
"I think you'll look nicer in mine." His lip was touching her nose now. "But of course, I'd like it even better if you were naked under it."
"Not happening." He licked his bottom lip.
"I have my fantasies."
"That's just what they are," She breathed. "Fantasies."
"If you wear my jacket, I'll move." Reaching her arms up, she pulled his black overcoat off of his shoulders. Underneath was a dark grey button down shirt. Despite herself, her fingers started to trail at his shoulders until they reached his neck.
Finally getting his jacket from under his hands, she started to shake out of hers.
"Yeah. Keep shaking."
"Oh shut-up." When she got his jacket on, she found that it was pretty big on her. "Um…" Ren laughed.
"It's alright. You'll be taking it off soon." She smacked his arm with the overlapping sleeve.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Wait, wait, wait. How old are you again?" Her eyebrows furrowed.
"Twenty-three…" He nodded his head.
"That's old enough." Her palm covered his face.
"You have to move away." He frowned.
"Why?" She rolled her eyes and flapped her arms.
"I put on your stupid jacket." Ignoring her statement, his fingers went to tug at her skirt.
"You know, I like that skirt." Her hand grabbed his.
"Look, Ren. You have to know something about me." She felt him make a trail of kisses down her neck.
"Is…it…urgent?"
"Yes." He sighed and moved off of her.
"What is it?" She bit her lip.
"I'm mentally unstable." He stared at her.
"…So?" Her eyebrows rose.
"What do you mean 'So'? You can't like a girl like that." He moved to take a seat back on the couch.
"Are you going to have sex with me?"
"What type of question is that?"
"I'll try rephrasing it. Are you going to let me make love to you?" She pondered the idea for a second, but then her thoughts turned to Nao. But then again, he wasn't really at fault…Nao won out.
"No." He shrugged.
"Then you're still the same old Sakura to me." She smiled. But then it turned to a frown.
"But I tried to kill my best friend." He scratched his head.
"The Kyuubi, the Uchiha, or the old guy?" She pouted.
"He's not that old…" She muttered. "The Kyuubi."
"Sakura, you were a prisoner for three months. Yes, you may be pretty messed up in the head, seeing how you kissed Nao—"
"Stop it," He put his hands up.
"Okay. But still, you don't seem any different to me. Well other then the fact that you won't let me kiss you…" She sighed.
"No." He sighed.
"But you know, Naruto called me your boyfriend. It's fitting that we act the part. I think I'm doing good, but you, on the other hand, need some work." Trying to move closer to her again, a palm was placed on his chest.
"And what is that?" He looked up.
"Well, you should be naked. And my hands should be right…here."
"Move it, Ren!" She tried to smack his hands away from her breasts, but ended up laughing. He was tickling her again.
"Or, they could be right…here." Sliding his hand up the back of her skirt, he squeezed her ass. She frowned.
"You know, you play too much." He popped her underwear.
"You don't play enough." He slid his hand under her mesh shirt and unhooked her bra as she arched her back.
"Now what did you go and do that for?" His hand was moving up the front of her shirt. She started to move her foot.
"Ah, ah, ah, Sakura stop."
"Move your hands."
"Alright, alrigh—Ah! Sakura, I said stop,"
"Back up."
"Alright, I'm done." Putting his hands up surrender, she removed her foot from inside of his pants. He slowly backed away.
"Be a good boy." She laid her head down on the arm of the chair. Incidentally, her hand was under her head. Each time she inhaled, his jacket smelled like a…cinnamon bun.
"Sakura," He tipped his head back on the couch.
"Hm?" Maybe she was having too much fun with smelling his jacket. It was easy to figure out since her head started to swim each time she took another sniff.
"Gray-haired guy…what's your relationship with him?" She froze. Kakashi…she couldn't really explain their relationship. It's gotten pretty complicated in the past few years. Sitting up, she started to rub the soft material of his overcoat on her knees.
"Well…first he was my teacher." Ren blinked.
"How old is this guy?" She frowned. But then again…she didn't remember either…
"He's fourteen years older than me—"
"Sakura, fourteen?"
"Shhh. I'm twenty-three…plus fourteen…seven…two…one…He's thirty-seven." He ran a hand through his black hair.
"So he was your teacher…like mentor? Tell me mentor." Sakura bit her lip.
"Not exactly. He was my genin sensei—"
"So he knew you when you were like…ten?" A dumbstruck look was plastered on his face.
"Twelve, actually. Then when Sasuke, the Uchiha, left—"
"Where'd he go?" She placed a hand on her forehead and sighed.
"Ren. If you want me to tell you my relationship with all of them, just say so." He smiled.
"So." Her eyes rolled. If she wasn't so annoyed she would laugh.
"Don't interrupt me anymore." A finger was pointed in his direction.
"And if I have questions about the story…"
"Then you wait until the end." He raised his hand.
"But Mrs. Watanabe—"
"Are you serious?"
"—What if I forget my questions?" She pursed her lips. If they were going to play this game…
"Raise your hand and wait to be called on." He leaned closer.
"And if I'm a good boy?"
"Then you get nothing." He sighed.
"We'll see. Anyways, go on." She turned on the couch and crossed her legs in front of her so she was facing him.
"You've heard about the Uchiha Massacre." He nodded. "He was the only survivor. Well, him and his brother, but his brother committed the crime. Well actually, it was orders from Danzo—" He raised his hand.
"Yes?"
"You're getting off topic."
"Right. His brother wanted Sasuke to get revenge on him. He tried to cope at first, but he wanted to get stronger. So he left the Village. I was the one left behind. Naruto promised me he would bring him back, so he left the Village with Jiraiya-sama. Kakashi…he had his own way of dealing with things. He started taking S-class missions. I trained with the Hokage." She looked down and started to fiddle with her skirt.
"We tried over and over again to bring him back. There was the mission when I was eighteen…Sasuke had killed Madara and Kabuto. They were going to have to fight. Everyone said it was destiny because of the paths they chose. All I could do is sit and watch and wait. I wasn't on par with either one of them. And then the final blow…" She used his sleeve to wipe away a stray tear.
"I had to watch the two most important men in my life try to kill each other. They used the jutsu that started it all. The Rasengan and the Chidori. I thought they were both dead. First I laid their bodies together. And then I had to decide…which one to heal first." He raised his hand again.
"So which one did you—"
"When he came back, he was drugged and he was on house arrest under my supervision." He frowned.
"So…you two dated." She bit her lip.
"Yeah. It was just for a little while though. Some things just weren't meant to be, right? But Naruto and I never had anything romantic about us." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He raised his hand. "Yeah?"
"You're lying." She used a finger to part her bang to the side.
"What do you mean?" He took one of her hands and took two fingers of the other hand, placing them on the back of her wrist.
"Your pulse. Feel that for a second…Well, you're a medic. Your pulse is supposed to feel like it's only beating once. Your pulse feels like it's beating twice." He touched her face. "Your cheek muscles are vibrating. That usually happens from adrenaline, fear, nervousness…" She brushed her bang aside again.
"I don't know what all of this is supposed to mean." As her hand was coming down from her face, he grabbed it.
"Remember what you told me about your forehead? Why are you brushing your bang aside?" She frowned.
"How do you know all this stuff anyways?" He shrugged.
"I'm an interrogator. The littlest things are supposed to stick out to me or I can't be called one. What happened between you and Naruto?" She rubbed a hand down her face. Grasping the top edge of her shirt, she started.
"I used to despise him, you know? He was so ill-mannered. So many pranks…he was just a loser. Compared to Sasuke, that is. Then we found out about the Kyuubi, and I despised him even more. I don't know if it was because everyone else was doing it, but I did. And I hate myself for it. Then as we started to go on missions, he just showed me up. He was so strong. Who am I to talk about him like he's trash, when I can't even hold my own in battle?" A tear came down her face. "He and Sasuke had a rivalry going. They pushed each other to get stronger, and that left me in the dust. I was always the one saved or protected. I couldn't do anything." He put on hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
"Sakura, it's alright." She shook her head. More tears fell.
"No, I have to get it out someday right?" She laughed. "Then Sasuke left, and he was the only one I could turn to. We tried to bring him home many, many times. We came back from a mission, and I was crying so hard. It was my fault Sasuke left. I tried to sweet talk him into staying. I should've just alerted the Village in the first place." She looked down to her skirt. "He didn't know what else to do. We had another mission up in a few weeks. He invited me into his house. I just sat there, and I cried. And he held onto me like I was the most precious thing in the world. But I'm not! I hated him! And I told him. How can he still treat me like this? He knows how everyone felt about him. He knows. He knows."
-Flashback-
"Can't you hear me? How can you still call me your best friend? I didn't stand there with you when you were hurting the most! I was with them.I was with those who caused all your pain. Naruto. Tell me to get out right now! Tell me to get out and I promise, I will." She was kneeling, clinging to the pillow for dear life while he just stood there and smiled. Wretched sobs racked her body as she rocked back and forth. Hair stuck to her face, her fingernails ripping into the cloth of the pillow, yet he stood there and smiled. She dug her feet into the carpet as hard as she could.
"Tell me to go, you Baka! Tell me! You're so stupid, Naruto. Tell me to go. T-tell me. Don't let me hurt you, like I did so many times. So many scars. Naruto, please. I'll walk out. I'll go... I'll go." She felt the snot run out of her nose and the spit that was all over her lips. Her face was puffy and her cheeks and nose were stained red. Her eyes had deep bags in them and her eyelashes clung to each other from the tears. Her vision was too blurry. She could barely see the orange mass bend down in front of her.
"Sakura." Her fist hit the floor.
"Please, Naruto. Please. Why won't you kick me out?" He crawled closer and wrapped his arms around her as she banged on his chest. He can't treat her like this. He can't.
"What makes you think you hurt me?" She didn't stop hitting him, yet every punch was getting weaker than the last.
"All of my burdens, I shifted them to you. I couldn't take care of it myself! I couldn't take care of anything! I'm the reason for your pain. I'm the reason. Let me go."
"You're my best friend, Sakura."
"Don't say that word!"
"I love you, Sakura. Don't ever think for a second that I don't, because I do." Her fists stopped in their tracks. Her eyes widened and she looked up to his smiling face. "You're my best friend because you're there. You personally patch me up after every mission. You make me my favorite ramen when I'm too lazy to buy it. You give me advice that rings true like no other. I couldn't live without you. You're my best friend because I want you to be." Her lip started to quiver as she wrapped her arms around him. Her fingers were digging into his back as she continued to shake in his arms.
"I love you so much, Naruto."
-End Flashback-
"Naruto was there through everything. He never left my side. I tried to kill him. What type of person am I?" Her face probably mirrored that day. She could already feel the puffiness of her cheeks and her hair was sticking to her face.
"Where are you going?" He said as he watched her slip on her sandals.
"I just need some fresh air."
She continued to push herself with her foot absent-mindedly. She let her fingers play with the chain as she stared ahead at the Academy. She felt horrible. She hasn't moved from her spot in over an hour, and she didn't feel the need to. She couldn't muster up the courage to apologize, yet she knew that she had to do it. She wasn't going to try to get out of it by using excuse like, 'I'm mentally unstable'. She's overused that in the span of about five hours.
No one knew. No one knew what happened on that day. They kept it a secret. And because of what happened, they became closer. Yes, she's glad for that. But not the way it happened. Sasuke having to slip out of their grasp once again, adding another scar to the ones that adorned her heart and his. She was too stupid to do anything on that mission. Too emotional. Crying instead of killing him. Reminiscing instead of trying to catch him off guard. And where did that leave them? Another failed mission among the many they had. More heartache. Loss of hope. Was he really going to come back?
But then again, it took both of them almost fighting to the death to bring him home. How did that feel? For Naruto, fighting his best friend, the only one who truly understood the pain he went through. The two of them, without family. An empty residence in their hearts where hers was full. Yet, Sakura, not even able to comprehend any of their feelings, could only sit and watch. She and Sasuke, they're the only family he's ever had. It's tragic that he got stuck with her. There was nothing that she could do for him that Sasuke couldn't do better. She tried that day. She tried to get him out of the contract. She knew that losing Naruto as a friend would scar her permanently, but what is that compared to growing up alone? He got stuck with a hell of a family member.
Staring off in the distance but not really staring, her foot continued to move her back and forth. The creak of the swing was familiar now; she's been listening to it for a while, now. But it didn't bother her. What's two hours compared to a childhood filled with lonely days on a swing?
Some voice in the back of her head kept telling her not to blame herself so heavily. She ignored it.
"I would've liked to think that I can finally pull one over you, but then again, you've been swinging on that for some time now. I don't think you're really paying attention to your surroundings." Slowly turning her head, her foot stopped pushing. It was Kakashi, staring at the Academy with his fingers folded across his lap. The dry blood and dirt still stuck to his face and hair.
But it's actually a coincidence that Kakashi was there. He was the one person she didn't get to explain her relationship with. Even if that time came, she didn't know if she could've.
"What are you doing out here?" She said in a small voice. Mucus still clogged her throat, and that lump just refused to go away.
"I was just passing by." She looked around. There was a big brown wall to their left. Kakashi was stupid at times, but this wasn't one of his moments. He came to find her.
"You wanted to ask me something?" She really wasn't in for an argument tonight. If he asked what was bothering her, she was positive that she wouldn't hold it in.
"I've actually come to talk to you about earlier." Earlier…She really didn't remember any of their conversations earlier.
"Yes?" Instead of jumping to conclusions like she usually did, she decided she let him go right into it. If he cracked a joke, she would cry. That's about all she's got left tonight.
"My father, he killed himself when I was seven." Sakura's head whipped around.
"Kakashi, no. I don't want you to—" He waved her off.
"I'm sure you heard of the White Fang. He was on a mission, and its completion was important to Konoha's war efforts. He chose to discard the mission and save his comrades. When he came home, he fell into disgrace. Not even the ninja he saved would stick up for him. I wanted to spend some time with my father, but it seemed all he did was stay in bed. Then uh, one day, I came home from the Academy. I was going to tell him…" He ran both of his hands through his hair, getting both blood and dirt on them in the process. It didn't look like he cared.
"Kakashi…" She whispered. When she told him that he had to confide in her for her to do the same for him, she used that as a sure fire way to never have to talk to him about it. But now…
"Minato-sensei said he was going to take me on as my mentor. He was going to give me one on one teaching, since I was too young to be put on an actual squad. I was going to tell him that. And I went into the living room to find him…He was…lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. He had a knife in his hand and left a note, so he might've been thinking about it for a while." He rubbed a hand down his face.
"I didn't mean for you to tell me that, Kakashi." She whispered.
"I hated him so much. He was supposed to follow the rules. Show no emotion. Yet he let his teammates get to him. I followed the rules to the T, from then on. But now, thinking back on it, I shouldn't have. My mother was civilian. And she loved my father… a lot. When he committed suicide, she couldn't take it. She wasn't built like a Shinobi. She couldn't shrug off the stares or the gossip. She wasn't strong. So I hated my father for leaving her like that. But I could've done something about it. By that time, I had already steeled myself off from all emotions. All my mother needed was me, and I gave her the cold shoulder. She soon became an alcoholic, and it wasn't long after that before she died."
"How?" Sakura said. She wrapped her arms around herself.
"Over dose. Minato-sensei took me in. When I was old enough, I was put on a team under him. But I was already an arrogant, by the rule prick. My teammate, Uchiha Obito…He was always late to everything. Always making excuses. I disliked him. He was an Uchiha, but he was a crybaby." He laughed at the memory. "We were always arguing, and Rin was usually the one to break us up. She was a medical-nin. Seem a bit familiar?" She nodded.
"Sounds like our team…"
"Yeah. The day when I became jonin, I was put in charge of them, while Sensei headed to the front lines. It was a total bust, though. I got my left eye slashed through and Rin got captured. Obito wanted to save her. He was in love with her, but she was in love with me."
"Sounds a lot like our team." Seeing that Sasuke was Kakashi and Naruto was Obito, then yeah. It was exactly like their team.
"I told him they weren't going to kill her yet. They had to get the information out of her, so they were going to stall. I said that we needed to complete the mission first. I didn't want to make the same mistake as my father. But he told me that 'In the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash—'"
"But those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash." He nodded.
"He told me my father was a hero. He knocked me off my pedestal, basically. I decided to follow him. We got into a fight with the Iwa ninja, then we went to go untie Rin. We were on our way out, but that same Iwa ninja used the Rock Lodging destruction jutsu. I was about to get crushed by one, and Obito pushed me out of the way. He gave me his Sharingan so he could see the future. He told me to protect Rin." Her eyes widened.
"So is that why you have the Sharingan? And the scar?"
"Yeah. It was a gift, for becoming jonin that day. It wasn't useless. It saved my life millions of times." Her fingernails dig into her sides.
"I see."
"Rin joined Anbu. I couldn't help her. I couldn't save her from the heartache and eventually her death. I joined Anbu after that. Then there was the Kyuubi attack…they wouldn't let us fight. Sensei and Kushina died that day. The third assigned me to take care of Naruto some days, but I was still a kid myself." She looked over to him.
"Is that why you go to the memorial every morning? For them?" He finally turned his face. She was surprised to see a single streak of a tear coming from his right eye. No matter what anyone might think, Kakashi was really compassionate. He wasn't as unfeeling as he portrayed himself to be.
"I should be on that memorial stone, Sakura. For all of those who I lost." She got up at that, and moved over to the bench he was sitting on.
"Why do you hide yourself? Behind everything, I mean." She placed her hand on his knee.
"Truth be told, I don't know who I am. When I was younger, My father told me that it's his job to shape me into the person I'm going to be when I'm older. He never got the chance. I created my own persona. I control what everyone thinks of me. And it has worked out just fine." She squeezed his leg.
It was all so sad. Everything about him…He was another one. Everyone he loved was gone. He and Sasuke were basically the same person. Same arrogance…everything. So she hugged him. Because it was right at the time.
"Sakura?" Her body was pressed up against his sides and her arms were wrapped around his neck, yet he didn't reciprocate. She wasn't going to move until he did.
"Hm?"
"Your bra is gone." She froze. He said it in such a calm tone, he could've been asking her what was for dinner. She took her arms from around his neck and found that indeed, her bra was gone. When could that have even happened? She didn't remember…Ren, the bastard.
"Yeah…I uh…Yeah." He chuckled.
"It's okay. I'm not going to ask." She sighed. She didn't need him to.
"Kakashi, I think I owe you something." He turned to look at her.
"What's that?" She folded her hands in her lap.
"Well, I'm not exactly clean either. I'll tell you everything." She said, fisting her hands into her skirt.
"I'll be here."
"I know."
"Just a minute!" Naruto set his mug of orange juice and cereal on the coffee table before picking up his remote and turning the television on. Despite contrary belief, he does not only eat ramen. And yes, cereal and orange juice may be breakfast, but he was running out of food. Fast. Maybe Sakura will take him shopping again…
He jogged through the hallway and up the stairs. He was really fortunate his dad had a big house. He didn't think he could continue to live in that hole in the wall anymore. He survive through it all of his life, but enjoying luxuries was always awesome.
Weaving around the kitchen, he stopped and looked down. Hopefully this night intruder was someone he knew. Opening the door in frog boxers wasn't very appealing.
"Hey, Sakura." She stepped one foot in and immediately fell to her knees. He bent down and touched her shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?" Her hands were flat on the floor adjacent to her head.
"Gomen, Naruto. Gomen." He frowned in thought. Sakura was barely ever this humbled, much less humbled before him. But with her forehead touching his bare floor…He could say he was nothing short of confused.
"What are you apologizing for?" He saw her shoulders shake. "Ne, Sakura-chan. You cry a lot."
"I was disoriented Naruto. I'm so sorry." Frowning again, he caught her by surprise when he grabbed her arm and pulled her up.
"There. That's better." She shook her head.
"Naruto, I'm sorry—"
"Sakura-chan, you worry too much. It was all in good fun. You weren't going to kill me. It hurt…a lot, but the fact is I'm okay." She pouted. Her eyes briefly scanned his neck, then they widened. Naruto took off.
"Why didn't you tell me I bruised your neck?" Around a corner, through a hallway.
"Sakura-chan!" He yelled up to her. "It's not that serious!" He was halfway down the stairs, but she was only at the top. So she jumped. It wasn't the best idea she had. But, it was worth a try.
"Let me heal you!" Trying to get his hands off of hers, she struggled to get a hold of his neck.
"Sakura, I'm already healing on my own! Just leave it!" But she wouldn't. She continued to wrestle his hands.
"Naruto please. I hurt you all the time, let me heal you this once." Naruto rolled his eyes and dropped her off at the couch.
"If it was really bothering me, I would've gone to the Hospital." He placed his hands on his hips.
"Now what is this really about?" She rubbed her forehead.
"I tried to kill you, Naruto. I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to do it." He took a seat beside her.
"I know, Haruno. That's why I'm not upset." He leaned in a bit closer. "Don't think that you have to apologize for everything you do now, Sakura. You'll never, ever scar me, or hurt me like you keep saying. You're like my sister…but that would make you Dad's daughter…That's not quite right. Anyways, I know what you're going through. I went through it too, remember? You just need some time." She slumped. He was right, but she hated that.
"I have about a week, Naruto. We have to go on that mission to Yugakure." He frowned.
"Oh yeah. But baa-chan said it's like a vacation. Pervy Sage took me there a few times. We can go skinny dipping!" Her head jerked back.
"No." He pouted and started to shake her knee.
"But, Sakura-chan!" He whined. "It'll be fun! You never live in the moment…" He grumbled. She slapped his arm.
"I live in the moment…lots of times. I'm always in the moment!" He pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow.
"It's not good to lie, Sakura-chan. But it's okay. I'll just ask Sasuke or Kakashi. You can stay with the target, I guess." Naruto sighed, much too forcefully, and got up from the couch. His head bent, his shoulders slumped, his slow gait, it was all of the moves for a faker. Yet Sakura bought it.
"Okay, Okay! I'll go skinny dipping!" Naruto pumped his fist into the air.
"Now I can go tell Sasuke that you agreed!" She rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah—Wait. What did you just say?" Naruto sweat dropped.
"I said, 'Now I can go ask Sasuke because you agreed!" He said with forced enthusiasm and another fist pump.
"No you didn't!" She yelled as she moved from the couch. "Ugh! That bastard only wants to see my "Assets"!" She said with quotes as she stomped up the stairs. "Well he won't be seeing anything because I'm not going." Naruto came up after her and slung an arm around her shoulders.
"You don't even have to bring your shoulders above the water. You can stay far away from us. Just come, okay?" Sighing in defeat, she pouted. Naruto: 2, Sakura: 0.
She propped herself up to sit on a table in his hallway. This was a pretty nice house, and she wasn't sure if Naruto knew what to do with it. Yeah, he moved out of that rat's nest, but maybe this was too big of a step up.
She started to swing her feet back and forth.
"Haruno, isn't that jacket just a bit too big?" He said with furrowed eyebrows, staring at how the sleeves came past her hands, and if she buttoned up the collar and added some glasses, she could look like Shino. Remembering why she was wearing the jacket in the first place, she squinted her eyes at Naruto.
"Why'd you give Ren your spare and call him my boyfriend?" Naruto shrugged.
"Well you guys are obviously dating." Her expression was that of someone who was confused. How could he possibly assume they were dating?
"We're did that come from?" Naruto rolled his eyes.
"Well actually, I think you're dating Nao and Ren. You see, when Ren kissed you earlier, Nao got all mad. Then they started to fight over you, then you broke it off with both of them, but then Ren hit your bottom, and you let him, so that means that you were dating both of them, but then broke it off with Nao." And she wondered how he got all that out in one breath. But his words were still true. She never really broke it off with any of them. She moved off the table and threw her arms around his neck.
"Oh, Naruto. I'm a whore aren't I? I'm one of them." Naruto laughed and patted her back.
"You're not a whore, Sakura. You're just undecided. Let big brother Naruto pick who's best for you." She pulled back.
"But I'm older than you."
"That's beside the point." He said as he pushed her back into his chest. "Come on, let me do it." What could she possibly lose from letting Naruto pick? He did know what was best for her. And her likes and dislikes. He probably knew her more than she knew her.
"Fine, go ahead." He smiled and started to lead her to the living room couch. Motioning for her to take a seat, he first grabbed his mug of now warm coffee and took a sip before proceeding.
"First and foremost, Sasuke. You guys were perfect for each other. Then the whole TenTen thing…It just got out of hand. But seeing now that you guys are back to being comfortable with each other, and have no more feelings…Sasuke is not the one you're looking for!" He said in a tone that bled game show host. But Naruto was actually right. Odd…
"Okay, next." He tapped a finger to his chin.
"Seeing that Nao is gone…He is not the one you're looking for!" She rolled her eyes.
"Well, duh Naruto. I knew that much." He sighed.
"Would you let me do my job?" Stifling laughter from how serious he sounded at the moment, she allowed herself to give him a slow nod of the head.
"No more interruptions or commentary, I swear." She lifted her right hand up. He nodded at her.
"Now, that leaves us with some possible contenders. You are a very unmanageable person—"
"Wha—"
"I said no interruptions!" He put his palm up to tell her to be quiet. She slumped against the couch, once again. "It has to be someone with a very laidback attitude. Despite the fact that you're heightifically challenged, you like very tall men. They have to be ninja, because you love a man in uniform. They have to have a sense of humor and patience…they have to have a lot of patience. They have to be able to withstand your moods and tempers, so that simplifies it to our circle of friends. Being a good fighter is a plus, because everyone knows you hate picking up the slack. And they should appreciate your vibrant mixture of green and pink." Naruto did know more about her than she did herself. She didn't really think he paid attention to the comments and little tidbits over the years about what she'd want in a man…but he did. This only made her appreciate him more.
"So where does that leave us?" He smiled and put up two fingers. She sighed. Only two?
"Kakashi and Ren! And that would ultimately be Ren because Kakashi is pretty old." Her head jerked back.
"He's only fourteen years older than us!" Naruto pointed a wagging finger at her.
"Yes. But Ren is only five. See? Big difference, Sakura. Big difference." She groaned.
"Ren? Does that really leave Ren? And how would you know if he was right for me anyways? You don't even know the guy!" He shrugged.
"Eh, he seems like he fits the description." Another groan. "What's so wrong with him?" Sakura pouted. She really didn't know, truth be told. She just had this feeling that told her to dislike Naruto's choice. Then she thought of one.
"He likes sex." Naruto jerked his head back.
"So? That's what boyfriends and girlfriends do, Sakura. That shouldn't even be a big factor unless—" His eyes widened. She pulled her feet up on the couch and let her head rest on her knees. "Sakura, you're still a virgin?" She sighed.
"Is it that so hard to believe, Naruto?" He shook his head.
"Well, yeah! But if you're still…Then Sasuke didn't…and then…wait…Ohhhh." He pursed his lips together and patted her on the shoulder. "Sorry, Haruno. You're missing out." She smacked his arm away.
"You act like you've had sex before!" She hated that word. Even saying it gave her the jitters.
"I have, Sakura." She started to blink.
"What? With who? Do I have to bring out my bat?" He waved her off.
"No, Sakura. And it's not a who. It's a who's." She blinked again.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I know it's hard for you to understand—" She waved her hand.
"Naruto. When you say 'Who's', you're not talking about more than one person." He shook his head.
"I don't understand what you mean," The grammar of this boy…unmatchable. And she didn't mean that in a good way. She secretly made a little gun, cocked it to her temple, and shot.
"Forget it, Naruto. I don't even want to know." Scratching the back of his head, he shrugged.
"Either way, I think Ren's gonna be good for you. You need to relax a bit, and he's not at all uptight." She sighed. Naruto was right…again. When she looked up again, she finally noticed Naruto was only in his boxers. There was a frog right on the—
"Okay. I think it's time for me to go." He shook his head.
"Nah. We should have a Sleepover."
"…What did you just say?"
I'm so sorry. This chapter is definitely lacking by my standards. Call it a…filler of sorts. Not really any action. Anyways, I wanted to have a part with Ren and Sakura because…I love Ren. I can make him into anything I want. Then, I had the part with Naruto and Sakura, because I wanted to enunciate how deep their relationship went. Either way, I'm sorry for the filler and the lack of action. Hopefully I'll rise out of this bout of writer's block and make the next chapter damn good!
Reviews make the world go round…
-Keoo19