Blindness
Revised
"We have nothing! Why can't you just accept that?"
"Because it's not true!"
She grabbed the comforters and pulled them to her face. "Ugh!" She screamed. It wasn't hard to take in. She fell, that was it. There was nothing before that, or after that. She pulled the comforters off of her face and crawled off of the bed. She proceeded to stomp out of the room, and heard his footsteps follow behind her. The loud noises his boots made were hard to ignore. His boots, which by the way, he was supposed to have taken off at the door. Yet here he was, stomping around and scuffing up her floors. He obviously didn't know how long it took her to get scuff marks out of wooden floors.
She stalked through the narrow hallway and back into the living room. He was there when she grabbed the remote and angrily pressed the OFF button. He was there when she started to push the remnants of her coffee table off to the side so she wouldn't get tempted to throw something at him. And unsurprisingly, he was there when she bent over to unplug the radiator and stuff it back in the closet.
He was there, and she was angry.
She wasn't going to let up on her anger, either. It was a simple fall between two friends. That's it. But then coercing her to talk to her in private, to which she refused of course, and then pushing her teammates out of the door (Not literally, because she knew Naruto would have a fit)? That was too much. Why exactly her teammates had to leave, she didn't know.
It just wasn't fair. He's living in her house, yet he was pushing her guests out of the door. Sakura was angry because the idiots that she grew up with? They came first. She's been treating them like shit all week, and the one day she wants to have a nice evening with them, everything goes straight to hell. And now, he was demanding that she and Kakashi had something!
Really, what kind of shit is that?
Never in a million years would she consider Kakashi as someone to date. Never. He was handsome, and polite when he wanted to be, but the superiority complex on that man left much to be desired. She could never live with someone who felt he should lead all the time. Someone who was late to everything, sometimes with good cause and others because he just liked seeing people pissed. Someone who used his authority to make his subordinates life a living hell. He was a complete enigma, that man. And that was a puzzle she did not want to solve.
She threw the dishes in the sink and then grabbed the edges. "Ren, what do you want me to tell you?" Tears began to well up in her eyes as she felt his arms snake around her middle as he came up behind her.
"I just want to know," He whispered. "Your relationship with him." She turned her head and felt his lips on her eyes.
"I already told you that. He was my teacher, and now he is my captain." She paused. "Was." She felt his breath fan across her face as he sighed. It smelled of sake, and that was really unappealing. She ducked under his arm and hurriedly wiped the falling tears from her eyes. On her walk to the bedroom, she thought about why she should be with a man who questions her relationships with her best friends. That was just wrong. But deep down, she knew Ren had good intentions. He was right to be suspicious. If she wanted to, she could leave him for anyone of her teammates. But that's if she wanted to. It would never happen, though.
This time she ignored the sound of his boots following her. But she knew that when she heard that door close, the coming conversation was inevitable. She knelt on the bed and gave him a hard stare as he walked over to the other side. She heard him pull off his boots first, and then she heard him sigh. Her attention averted to the closet.
"Look, Sakura. I'm not trying to tear you away from your friends, or accuse you of anything. But isn't it right if I know something about my lover's comrades?" That word could not explain their relationship. They weren't lovers, because lovers had sex. And they didn't, and they weren't. She frowned.
"Whatever you want to know, I'll tell you." Sakura said. But she wasn't so sure if she should've. Kakashi and Sakura halve done some pretty questionable things together, and he could get angered by any one of them, to tell the truth. Not that she cares, though. It's just that, if he gets angry, then that's going to involve some yelling on her part, and that's just a lot of work these days.
"What's your background with him?" Ren asked. She sighed. She went through this already.
"He was my genin sensei. When I was a Chunin, we were on a team together. When was a jonin, we were still on a team together. I became a field medic so that I could go on missions with them. Then two years ago, he sponsored me for Anbu. All that time in lockdown, I think we've gotten closer. I can't honestly say I know everything about him, though. He's pretty secretive, and barely opens up to anyone." But he did open up, She thought. He opened up to me. "We're partners, is all." He laid down with his hands behind his head. His jacket was splayed around him and his shirt was unbuttoned. If he thinks an open display of his body was going to get her to forgive him, he was wrong.
"Did you date?" She snorted.
"Date? Hatake Kakashi? Ha! I wouldn't date him if he was the last man on earth." She finished with a roll of her eyes. He hummed.
"Did you kiss him?" Silence. "Sakura?" She pressed her lips together. She didn't expect it to go this far.
"Um…no?" She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and he was on her like a dog.
"You're lying again. Why can't you just tell me the truth?" A sigh escaped her.
"It's not as easy as pie to say you've kissed a thirty-something year-old man, Ren." He let out a laugh. This was supposed to be funny?
"I'm sure other people have done worse." Then his laugh ended abruptly. "But if you didn't date, why'd you kiss?" She frowned.
"What the hell is this, anyways? Twenty Questions?"
"Sakura," He warned. Another sigh came from her lips.
"Yes, we kissed, you bastard. The first time it was the heat of the moment." When she got captured, "The next few times…it was…to prove something?" She said with confusion. "I don't know, really." And she doesn't. That night got out of hand, and it'll never happen again. It was his fault anyways. He called her out, and she's not just going to sit there when he does.
"Okay…have you slept together?" Her head jerked back.
"What? No!" She put a hand over her mouth. "Wait…" He shot up.
"Sakura!" She waved her hands.
"In one sense of the word, yes. Yes we have." He frowned
"And in what sense of the word is that?" He said with narrowed eyes. She tapped a finger on her chin.
"We've slept together, but we haven't actually slept together. Get it?" He fell back down to the bed.
"Whose shirt is that?" She froze. The shirt. The stupid shirt.
"It's…mine…" She watched him grab his head and sigh.
"No, Sakura it's not. You're lying to me…again. Minutes after the fact, even." A frown appeared on her face as she looked down to the jonin shirt she was wearing.
"It's Kakashi's." He groaned.
"I'm not even going to ask why you have his shirt. It's just another mystery that you'll never tell me, right?" He asked rhetorically as both her eyebrows raised.
"Mystery?"
"Look. I just don't want you to keep things from me. And it seems like that's your sole purpose. Especially about those guys." She turned around to face him.
"What do you mean 'those guys'?" She asked accusingly. "My teammates? Is that who your referring to as those guys?" She was upset now, and she had every right to be. He knew their names! He's being a jerk. A stupid, bastard of a jerk.
"I mean, you have a weird fixation to them, and it bothers me." Her eyes narrowed.
"Of course I have a fixation to them! They're my teammates—!"
"Yeah, Sakura, that's the excuse you have for everything. And it's really getting old." He drawled. Sakura was taken aback. Excuse for everything?
"No it's not! And either way, I've known them all my life!" He wiped his hands down his face and her head snapped back.
"I know you have. I know you have. It's just annoying—"
"Annoying? Annoying? It's annoying to hear about my teammates. To hear about my life." He shook his head with his hands pressed over his eyes.
"I hear about them all the time! Teammates. That is probably the most used word in your vocabulary. And it's getting annoying listening about your past adventures! Yeah, you've known them all your life, but you make it seem like you have to spend every waking minute with them." He growled. She ran her hands through her hair.
"So this is how you feel?" She said, as more tears started to form in her eyes. She bit her lip to keep it from quivering. He sat up and faced the wall.
"I just want…to spend some time with you, Sakura. That's it." He replied wearily.
"I've been spending time with you! All week I've been with you, treating them like shit! Don't you think I should have one night with them?" She shouted with her hands fisted in the sheets.
"You've been spending nights with them your whole life! We have one week together and you already want to get away from me! I just want to spend some time with my goddamned girlfriend. And here you are lying to me back and forth—"
"I wasn't lying!" She couldn't stop the tears that streamed down her cheeks. She placed a hand over her mouth as her shoulders quietly shook.
"Cling to them, Sakura. Go cling to your teammates. I'm going to fucking bed." She watched with blurry vision as he angrily pulled the covers from under him and wrapped them around his body. She felt the wetness of her mouth and shook her head.
Slowly crawling off of the bed, she pushed her hair, most of which was sticking to her face, behind her back and walked to the door. She took a glance back before closing it behind her.
Sakura took this time to go to the bathroom. After locking the door, she fell to her knees and realized that she hasn't cried like this in a long time.
She let the tears flow freely, and the sobs that escaped her mouth were quiet as her body shook.
"I don't know, Sasuke." Naruto twirled the kunai in his hand.
"What do you mean?" He replied. Letting the weapon stop, he rotated his finger the other way.
"The way we left, maybe we shouldn't have. I mean, their argument was pretty heated with us there." Naruto said unsure. They let themselves out, but that was only because Sakura looked ready to bash heads in.
"Sakura can take care of herself, can't she? If Ren does anything, she'll be on him in a second. There's nothing to worry about." He replied reassuringly. He knew that Sakura could take care of herself. But he still had every right to be worried. Switching the phone to his other ear, he turned and propped his boots up on the arm of the couch.
"Yeah, I know. What do you think sensei?" Naruto heard faint breathing on the other line and sighed. "Sensei, wake up!"
"Yes, yes. Whatever you were talking about." Kakashi said, the sleepiness not hidden in his voice. Another sigh from Naruto.
"I said the way we had to leave. Haruno was pretty pissed, and I'm a bit worried." He heard a yawn on the other end. Most likely coming from Kakashi.
"Mhm. Well, that's pretty much your problem, because I'm positive Sakura can handle it." Kakashi smacked his lips. "So, uh…we've been on the phone for a while, and I don't know why. I haven't used this thing in ages, or ever, I don't really know. I found it in the back of a closet and it's dusty. I have allergies. Really severe cases—"
"Sensei, you have a mask. I don't think dust can get through that." There was silence. Kakashi knew he was caught in his lie—again—and thought quick to think of a new one.
"Yes, well…I don't have my mask on right now." Naruto rolled his eyes.
"Sasuke, what do you think we should do? I want to make sure she's okay, but I don't want to get up." He was really comfortable where he was, actually. Flipping the kunai around in his hand was very relaxing, and he was in a great position on a comfy couch. He's worried, but the value of comfort was worth more to him at the moment.
"Look, Naruto. Didn't you already get her upset by looking down on her? And now you want to do it again by implying she can't hold her own?" Sasuke was smart. He wasn't going to get into any fights he knew he couldn't win.
"Do what you want, Naruto." Kakashi started. "But I want you to know I'm not going to dig you out of the hole you've dug yourself in." Naruto frowned. It didn't matter. What if something was actually wrong? Then what would happen if they didn't call and Sakura was in trouble? It was unlikely, but it could very well happen. That fact alone had him taking the phone off of his ear and dialing the too-familiar number. "Wait, Naruto." Kakashi said with panic in his voice.
"What?" He answered as the phone was put back to his ear and he started to hear the dial tones.
"You're paying for this four-way call, right?"
Hearing the phone ring, Sakura slowly pulled herself up from her position on the tiled floor. When she felt her face, she could make out the outlines of the salt trails. Her nose was still a bit tender from the sniffing, though.
She walked over to her cabinet and pulled out the telephone. Why she had a telephone in the bathroom, she couldn't even answer herself. She then pressed the TALK button without checking the caller ID.
"Hello?" She croaked, less than appealingly.
"Haruno?" Her eyes widened as she quickly covered the mouth of the phone. She cleared her throat before putting it back to her ear.
"Hey, Naruto." Her voice was still small, but it would have to do. She lowered herself back down to her knees and started to trace the lines of the tiles.
"It's not just me, it's Sasuke too. And Kakashi." She raised an eyebrow at this.
"Kakashi?" Finding some dirt, she started to scrape away at it with her nail.
"I don't know why I'm on the phone either, to tell you the truth. It was in the back of my closet, it's really dusty, and I have allergies, so…" Sakura sighed at his stupidity.
"Kakashi, you have a mask. Dust bunnies can't penetrate it. You bragged about it last year, calling it the 'Super Mask'." She heard him curse silently as a small laugh came out of her lips.
"I'm not wearing a mask." Sakura rolled her eyes. Typical.
"So, Sakura. Are you alright?" It was only a little bit, but she heard the concern that came through from Sasuke's voice.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She lied. She heard someone click their tongue.
"You sound like you've been crying." Naruto pointed out. She swallowed and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. The tiles were really dirty. Someone should look into that.
"I haven't been crying." She pushed her bang aside before her hand went back down to the tiles. Why was everyone grilling her today?
"Sakura?" It was Kakashi's voice this time. And then she just couldn't hold it in. The first tear fell, and with it went the dirt that she scraped away on the tiles. Trapped in a little bubble of salt water.
"I-I'm sorry. W-we had a fight—"
"Fight? I'll kill him, Sakura." Naruto said in a deep baritone. She shook her head.
"No, no. It was an argument, and—"
"Argument? Did he put his hands on you?" Sasuke growled. Another shake of her head.
"No, Sasuke. It was just about me and Kakashi's incident." More tears incased the dirt that she's been scraping up for the past few minutes.
"What the hell did he say, then?" Kakashi replied. His voice more subdued than theirs, but she still heard a hint of anger.
"I-I think…he's right." She said before biting her lip. The fresh tears were coming, and she didn't want them to hear her crying. They would rush over and make a mountain out of a molehill. Sure they fought, but every couple has fights. And the points he brought up were very much true. Besides, she wants this relationship with Ren. She wants to be with someone other than Naruto and Sasuke, and sometimes, even Kakashi.
"What did he say, Sakura." Kakashi growled this time. Sakura let out a shaky sigh and balanced the phone between her ear and her shoulder. She gripped the edges of her knees as she bent over to get a hold of her tears.
"He said that I'm always with you guys. He wants me to spend more time with him, because I'm his girlfriend. But he's right. I'm too clingy. And I'm going to try to stop saying teammates all the time. He doesn't like that." She said in a small voice. She heard a groan.
"Sakura, you sound like someone in an abusive relationship. Tell me, did he put his hands on you?" Kakashi said, even darker than before. She moved the phone to her other ear and let her forehead touch her knees.
"Did he say that, Sakura? That you were clingy?" Naruto added.
"That bastard," Sasuke said with a curse.
"Yeah, but I am, Naruto. I was with him just a week and I'm already running back to you guys. He's my boyfriend; I should be with him more." She said. All the reasons that she went to Anbu…wiped clean. She still clings to her teammates, depends on them so much, yet she's become more capable. And now someone was snapping her back to reality again. Naruto wasn't her life. She could be without Sasuke, and Kakashi wasn't one for social interactions himself. She needs to back off. She needs to.
There was silence on the phone, and she thought that they had hung up on her.
"Hello?" A pause.
"You need to break up with him." Her eyes widened.
"What? Kakashi—"
"Sakura, I'm telling you, this guy is no good. He shouldn't be treating you like this." Kakashi wasn't one to butt his head in other people's relationships, but here he was, doing it now. Sakura shook her head.
"No. He's good for me, Kakashi. I know it." She was telling them more than she was telling herself. Just because they had one fight didn't mean she should give up on him. Everyone has their quirks. She's never seen him lash out like that…not at her. So that was his. When things bother him, he gets angry.
"Sakura, sensei's right. You gotta break up with Ren." She pursed her lips. Naruto agreed with him too?
"Why would I do that? Just because we had one fight you want me to break up with him?" Her voice laced with disbelief. How could they?
"Sakura, trust us. We know things that you can't see." Sasuke said. Now it was all of them, and she couldn't believe it.
"What is wrong with you people? I'm not breaking up with him. I'm not. He's going to treat me better than you ever had, Sasuke. And he kisses better than you ever will, Kakashi."
"Wait, what? Sensei, you kissed Sakura?" Naruto said surprised.
"What the hell happened?" Sasuke added.
"Personally, right now, I don't give a fuck what you bastards say. Clearly, you don't care for my happiness. And it doesn't matter anyways." She scoffed. "I just can believe it."
"Sakura, stop." Kakashi started. "It's because we care about you that we're telling you this. He's just not the right boyfriend." She narrowed her eyes.
"Oh and what, you are? You can't stop me from doing what I want. He's my—" Sakura's eyes widened as she finally cracked his plan. "You bastard! Is that why you set up a dinner with mother? The nerve—I just hope this shit blows up in your face, Kaka-sensei." Just as she clicked the OFF button, she heard a knock on the door.
"Sakura, are you in there?" Remembering what she told them, she let go of her anger, because Ren was right.
"Yeah." She reached a hand to the doorknob and unlocked it. Letting her arm fall back down to her side, she heard the door creak open. She slowly lifted herself up, but avoided eye contact.
"Are you alright?" Ren said with concern in his voice. She withheld a snort. Is she alright? He's the one that made her cry. Again. She combed her fingers through her hair and nodded. "You're lying." He took a step forward and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her body closer.
"I know." She breathed in his scent of cinnamon. His arms wrapped around her lower back.
"I'm sorry. I don't want to barge in on your personal life, Sakura. I just want to be with you, you know? Maybe I'm jealous of them." She let his hands play with her hair as she played with the tiny black hairs that adorned his chest.
"You're right Ren." She leaned her head against his chest. "I spend way too much time with them. It's unhealthy actually, the way I talk about them all the time." He kissed the top of her forehead.
"We can do something. Just you and me. Tomorrow." He said. She frowned.
"We have the dinner tomorrow, remember?" The dinner that Kakashi set up on purpose. Bastard.
"Then we can go tomorrow morning." He released her and walked back out of the door. Sakura took a deep breath. Tomorrow morning. They can't do it any other day, because she's going on a mission. They can't do it when she comes back, because Ren's due back in Grass on Tuesday. But then, tomorrow morning, she was supposed to be training with Kakashi.
Since the bastard wants to act like an over-controlling jerk, she'll come when she feels like it.
She heard the door to the bedroom creak open. "Sakura, come to bed."
"God, I didn't know how fun rock-climbing could be! Especially when you don't have to walk up it yourself." She smiled and squeezed Ren's hand.
"You know, those were made for civilians. They can't climb mountains without harnesses and ropes." Ren said with a laugh. Kakashi couldn't help but glare at the couple as they made their way towards him.
It was past 12, and he remembers saying morning. Okay, so he got there at about 10 himself, but when he saw she wasn't there…He could say that he was actually quite surprised. No. Not surprised. Disappointed. Upset, even. First, she disregarded his advice last night, and now she was standing him up.
Great. Now he was acting as if they were on a date.
She had a boyfriend for goodness sake, one she intended to keep, at that. He just had to hope that dinner tonight would get rid of him. If she couldn't see past his ruse, she was going to be pissed in the end. And basically, that's what they were trying to avoid in the first place. With Sakura's newfound insanity, no one knew what she was going to do next anymore. Not that she was easy at predicting in the first place, but now they didn't even have a chance. When she punched Naruto last night, he didn't even see it coming. He's sure Naruto didn't either. Or Sasuke; the collateral damage. She seemed calm, and it seemed like one of those conversations that Sakura used her words to get her point across. But she didn't. And it surprised him as much as it surprised Naruto to get hit like that in her home.
They had to face the facts now. Sakura was different. Not so much that they didn't recognize her, or they couldn't match certain things to her personality, because that was very much the same. It was just the little things that caught him off guard. Like how she didn't notice Ren slapping every ass in his reach Thursday night. Like how she didn't notice Ren disappear for drinks a bit too long. Or even how she didn't notice Ren staring into the waitress's open shirt quite obviously. Those little things made her different. And it was because she was different that he didn't want to see her hurt.
Because eventually, she would hurt him too.
"Naruto, Sasuke," Kakashi started. They jumped back from each other, Naruto with a kunai in his hand, Sasuke with his Kusangi. "Sakura's here." She was here, but she was in no way dressed to train. He frowned as he stared at her low-cut black sweater and her very tight, very short skirt. She even had on heels. Heels. She clearly intended to blow him off today. And usually he would just shrug it off, but she was blowing him off with Ren. So that made him very pissed.
Sighing deeply, Kakashi took a hand out of his pocket and beckoned Sakura towards him. To which of course, she released her hand from Ren's grasp and placed them on her hip. Another sigh.
"Sakura, we need to talk." Her eyes narrowed.
"No." She said as she cocked her head to the side. Kakashi squeezed his eyes shut and grabbed the bridge of his nose. He then closed the space between them.
"Stop acting like a child." He bit out. But this only worsened the situation. Sakura didn't take insults lightly. So she walked closer to him.
"I don't need you to dictate what I do, you bastard." She said while poking him in the chest. "You have nothing to say to me. Even if you did, it's not like I'm going to listen, anyways!" She rubbed her hands down her face. "God, why are you always out to ruin my life? I don't want anything to do with you any—!"
"Haruno fucking Sakura! Seriously? Seriously! Now, we can talk in private, or we can talk in front of your boyfriend." She bit her lip. Kakashi doesn't yell. He doesn't shout, and he barely ever raises his voice. He certainly doesn't call her by her full name. She turned her head and saw Ren's widened eyes. Taking his upper arm, she pulled Kakashi to another corner of the clearing.
"Why would you embarrass me like that?" She whispered harshly as she ran her hands through her hair.
"You gave me no choice! Why the hell would you pull something like that?" He growled back. She shook her head in confusion.
"Pull what?" Kakashi fisted his hands in his scalp.
"Damn it, Sakura! We told you about Ren, and you completely disregarded our advice—"
"Completely disregarded? You're trying to break us up for Kami's sake! Of course I'm not going to listen to you!" He sighed. This was going to get nowhere fast. And Kakashi was a smart man. He didn't put himself into any compromising situation without fully evaluating the consequences. For instance, yesterday, he didn't let go of Sakura, knowing they would fall, making sure Ren knew to come home at 11. But he didn't expect it to go the other way. It was supposed to be in their favor.
So then what happened? They fought, Sakura cried, and then Ren apologized. Kakashi's plan went straight to hell. So now, they move to Plan B.
"Sakura, Ren is a player." Kakashi said calmly. Sakura narrowed her eyes.
"What did you just say?" She growled. If she couldn't see it, then something was seriously wrong.
"Sakura, he's been making passes at the waitresses all week." Her head snapped back and he sighed. "He came home smelling like sex yester—!" Now this was embarrassing. When he decided to pick one of the training grounds near the road, he meant to show off. It's not very often anymore that people stop and stare at ninja in awe. Nowadays, it's more pointing and name-calling. But now, it seemed that he should've picked one of the training grounds further off. Because he's pretty sure there are a few watchers that gathered around in the past few seconds. With the last punch that had him hurling through one or two trees, he was sure Sakura has changed in more than a few ways.
It seemed she wasn't even done with him yet. She had a fist poised in front of her with a hand on her bicep, walking towards him. And her face looked pretty pissed, so that was never a good sign.
"What's your deal?" She growled as she stood above him. Kakashi let his head fall against the tree trunk he was currently resting on.
"I'm telling the truth. Why would I lie?" He answered. And he doesn't have a reason to. He won't benefit from Sakura breaking up with Ren. Other than the fact that he'll see her underwear again, but besides that, no benefit.
"The one time that I'm happy, you try to ruin it for me? Kakashi, all I want is to be in a relationship. One that has no previous turmoil at that. I've had so much fun this past week…" She tipped her head back and smiled. "Damn. I think I might be falling in love again. But I really think he's the right guy. It's just the littlest thing he does, you know? Like apologize. Stuff that you bastards don't do! God, he's just so perfect, Kakashi." She sat cross-legged in front of him and let her healing chakra flow from his leg to his bruised and swollen face. At least she was conscious enough of her actions to heal him.
"Sakura," He whispered. He didn't mean for this to happen. He didn't mean for Sakura to get captured, or have a fling with Ren in captivity. He didn't expect Ren to come back to their village, and he certainly didn't expect Sakura to fall in love. That just makes everything worse. Now, she's going to end up with a broken heart. Again. And who knows what she's going to demand out of him this time?
"I didn't want to. I really didn't. He has a past with women, and Nao told me to stay away from him. But he's just so sweet on me." She let out a deep sigh as Kakashi felt her warm chakra start to repair his tissues. "It's nice being pampered, Kakashi. And I don't want to admit it, but I'm in love." Kakashi frowned. This could not be happening.
"It's been a week. How could you be in love?" He questioned. She glared at him.
"A week, three months, and a day." She corrected. When she felt her job was done, she patted his leg and stood. "I'm sorry, Kakashi. But I just can't listen to you this time." With that, she walked back to Ren. He closed his eyes.
So much for Plan B.
"Look," Ren said as he wrapped an arm around Kakashi's shoulders. Much to his chagrin, of course. "I just wanted to know what's going on." Kakashi narrowed his eyes.
"Ren, is it?" Kakashi started as he calmly plucked his arm off of his shoulder, "I don't know what your deal is, but we have nothing going on." He tried to walk away, but felt another hand on his shoulder and sighed. Their talk so far was pretty awkward. Ren thought it was his place to drill him on Sakura's likes and dislikes, and what Kakashi sees in her. Really, he's not even attracted. He sees nothing. Especially after that last punch, to which his face was still sore.
"You see, I'm an interrogator, and I'm not stupid. You two have something going on behind the scenes." Another sigh from Kakashi. This was getting old.
"Okay. You've got a girlfriend. I understand completely." He said with the movement of his hands. "So of course you have to scare off any potential suitors trying to steal her away. But trust me, you've got the wrong guy." Ren raised an eyebrow at this.
"No." No? "That's not right. You planned that fall last night. Obviously, you have something for her." Kakashi frowned and placed a hand over his eyes. It was a joke. There's always so much tension between the two of them nowadays, so he planned the fall. A minor detail, something that shouldn't have even meant anything. And didn't. But Ren was making it out to seem like Kakashi planned to overturn the government. "But don't worry about it, it's alright." It was Kakashi's turn to raise an eyebrow.
"Alright?" He was clearly confused by this. Ren simply slapped a hand on his back.
"Yes. Because I'm planning on sharing her." He started to blink rapidly in shock. After swallowing, he used a hand to rub the back of his neck.
"Sharing…Sakura." He truly believed he was misunderstanding. Maybe he was just talking about one of his weapons, or a toy, even. Something. Something other than Sakura.
"Yeah, I mean, you ever heard of polyandry? It's not illegal here. Maybe in my country, but my leader isn't as understanding as your Hokage. And I'm sure she understands the teacher-student relationship going on." Ren finished with a smile. First, there was no relationship in the first place. Second, they weren't teacher and student anymore. And he definitely wasn't going to share Sakura, with Ren. And he was positive Sakura didn't want to share Ren, with…Kakashi? No, that couldn't be right. But seriously, what was he thinking? Something that the Villagers stopped doing ages ago, but the rule was never done away with.
"You've got it all wrong, Watanabe." He said, exhausted with the whole conversation. "I don't want Sakura. I'll never want Sakura. Unless she changes her hair color, her facial features, her breast size, and her personality, she's all yours. Seriously." Kakashi said as he narrowed his eyes. Ren gave a short laugh. He didn't get it.
"It's alright, as long as we don't cross swords or anything…If you know what I mean." He finished with a wink as Kakashi grimaced.
"So, they're having a spar, and I'm usually included in them. I'll walk over there." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and took a step forward before Ren began to speak again. This time, his voice had a darker tone to it.
"Touch Sakura…and you die. She's mine."
"Do you like it?"
"You look delicious, babe. Tasty…" Sakura rolled her eyes and put a hand over the one that sat on her hips. She felt his lips make soft kisses on her neck.
"Are you sure this isn't too...Dressy, for my mother?" She frowned and started to examine her dress in the full length mirror. It was red and stopped right above her knees. It was pretty tight though, so she couldn't do any extensive movement while in it. She heard the sound of her zipper being pulled up and felt her straps being readjusted.
"You look beautiful, Sakura. Stop worrying." She couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach. She already knew her mother wasn't going to like him, and she already had an idea how the night was going to play out. So why was she so nervous? Oh yeah. Kakashi's going to be there, and he's a bastard. He was having separation issues, and it shouldn't have taken her this long to figure it out. For a long time, it was Kakashi and Sakura, Sakura and Kakashi. Through Anbu, the time after Anbu, they've gotten closer, no doubt. But now that Ren was in the picture, Sakura hasn't been spending as much time with Kakashi, so he's jealous. It's conceited of her to think like this, but she wouldn't dare consider any alternative reasons for his actions.
"I just can't relax, Ren." She felt her zipper being pulled back down and her straps fell off of her shoulders. The dress slowly inched off of her body before pooling around her heeled feet.
"I know just the thing…" His hands started to inch down her stomach. "That can make that tenseness go away." He whispered breathily. She sighed.
"Stop it," When she bent over to pull her dress back up, she felt a smack on her behind and shot up. "Ren, really. I already told you." He let out a groan and plopped himself on the bed.
"Sakura, what are you so afraid of?" He asked. She tried her best to zip her dress back up but could only get it halfway. Frustrated, she sat down on the bed facing away from him.
"My mother told me that I should only have sex when I love someone." She whispered it, but he heard. He shifted on the bed.
"Haven't you loved someone before?" He asked as he pulled her zipper back up. She closed her eyes. "You told me about Sasuke." The conversation she was avoiding.
"I loved Sasuke," She started. "I really did. Do, actually. Because I still love him. And that night, I was going to have sex with him. But he was still a righteous bastard back then, so some things happened, and…we didn't." She kicked her shoes off and laid down. "That changed my whole view of things. I thought to truly love someone, you had to be married." He blinked.
"No sex until marriage, huh?" She nodded. "Will you marry me, then?" Her eyes widened.
She could not have just heard that.
"W-what?" She said, as though what he said hasn't registered yet. He turned and put his hands behind his head.
"I don't think I've felt this strongly about someone before. It's pretty weird, actually. It feels really good to have the same woman in bed with you every night. Especially when that woman is you, Sakura." She searched his eyes as her breathing started to pick up.
"What do you mean?" He smiled.
"I love you, is what I mean. When I kiss you, I feel like I could do it forever. Your body intrigues me. You're beautiful, in every sense of the word. I don't know why you're not married yet. But if I'm the man to do it, then the whole world just lost out." Her eyes widened. He couldn't be serious. He was joking, right? Right?
"You're…serious?" He pulled her face closer to his and took her mouth in a kiss.
"You think I'm lying?" She smiled.
"I love you, Ren." She said as he smiled back. She sat up briefly and pulled her zipper back down. She slipped the dress off of her body and laid back down. "And I want you to make love to me."
"Stop, stop." Sakura whispered breathily as pain resonated throughout her lower pelvis. Ren froze abruptly. "Don't move."
"What do you want me to do?" He said, panting just as hard. His mouth was beside her ear and had his hands on either side of her.
"Nothing." She breathed. "Just do…nothing." She placed her hands on his shoulders. Squeezing her eyes shut tightly, she slowly moved him out of her and he fell down onto the bed. She couldn't do it. It hurt too much. Everyone always says that sex is pleasurable, but what about virgins? What did they get? She turned away from him as her lip started to quiver.
When he went in the first time, it was magic. Kakashi was right. She was missing out. But then he started to go faster, and it started to hurt. Badly. She couldn't keep up, and he was too big. Ren could barely go in all the way, and every thrust he made hurt like hell. He picked up on it when she stopped moving with him. And here she was now.
"Are you okay, Sakura?" She slowly rose from the bed.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." She replied with a smile.
"Was it good?" He said, the smugness evident through his voice. She narrowed her eyes.
"Magical, Ren." Closing the door behind her, she waddled through the hallway to her bathroom. This bathroom had that beautiful tub, and a soak was just what she needed right about now. She stepped in and locked the door, almost immediately running the hot water for a bath.
What the hell was she thinking? Okay, so the sex was good…at first. But it seems whenever she's with him, he gets whatever he wants. Wait…who was she kidding? Haruno Sakura's getting married! And she had to admit. It was really good at first. And if she had to live with him, then he might as well be good in bed. He was the whole package, truth be told. Charming, handsome, funny, everything she wanted. Naruto was right. And she would love him forever just for suggesting Ren to her.
She stuck a toe into the water before slipping her leg in, and then the rest of her body. Once in the water, she placed a healing hand on her abdomen and let her chakra numb the pain. She heard the door open and her head turned.
"How'd you…"
"Ninja," He wiggled his blue-tipped fingers. She smiled. He closed the door and walked over to the tub. "May I join you?"
"Do you need permission?" He let out a small laugh and jumped in, splashing hot water all over her face.
"Ah! Why would you—" He silenced her with a kiss. She pushed his face away with her hand. "Now why would you go and do that for?" He smiled.
"I want you." He mumbled through her fingers. She frowned.
"Didn't you get all you wanted three minutes ago?" He licked her fingers and she snatched her hand back.
"No. I want you again." Then he kissed her again, running his tongue over her lips and into her mouth. Sakura pulled back. She was still hot, despite the bath water being cold. Her legs had somehow wrapped themselves around his waist and her fingers were now digging into his back.
"It hurts, Ren." He narrowed his eyes.
"If I promise to go slow, can I have you?" He pleaded? She touched her lips.
"I'm yours now, so what do you think?"
"Stop, stop."
"What now?" She placed her hands on his chest and rolled off of him.
"We have to go!" He groaned and stood to help her up.
"Why? Can't we just go back home, and do some more of this? Because you seem to have no problem with doing me in the—"
"Shhhh! Kids are still out!" She pointed through the trees to the playground that was in clear sight. He rolled his eyes. She folded her arms over her chest and started to look around.
"What're you looking for?"
"My bra! I can't find my bra!" She whispered. He held up a finger with her bra latched onto it. When she narrowed her eyes, he laughed. "We don't have time for that, you bastard!" She yelled as she snatched it away and hurriedly put it on. They had about ten minutes before her mother started to get worried. And that's only if her father is there to reassure her. Assuming he's not home all the time, they only had three. With the way they've been getting sidetracked on the way to the civilian district, they weren't going to make it. She shimmied into her dress and pulled the straps onto her shoulders just as Ren tightened his tie. "My zipper," She said. It was only a few seconds later that her zipper was up and she was pulling on her heels.
"Your hair is a bit…you know." Sakura's eyes widened as she started to comb her fingers through her locks as best as she could.
"Come on, let's go!" She grabbed his hand and started to run through the trees. It wasn't long before they were back on the main road. They were already in the civilian district, so it shouldn't be long now. "There are a few things I need you to know about this dinner."
"That your mother hates me and this night will blow up, yeah, I already know that." She sighed, trying to get a hold of her nerves. He was right. It'll blow up all right.
"Just please. Don't tell her you're a spy, and make sure to tell her that you're from Suna. Not Grass." He nodded as they walked down the pathway.
"Sakura, it'll be fine, just chill." She took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.
"You better hope so." She heard noise on the other side, and this time, it was her father who greeted them.
"Sakura," He said, rather unenthusiastically.
"Hey daddy. This is Ren." She said with a smile. Daisuke only narrowed his eyes.
"Ren, huh." Ren took a step up and extended his hand.
"Yes Sir. Watanabe Ren." When Daisuke didn't take the hand, he quickly stuffed it back into his pocket. His eyes turned and stared when he saw Sakura pat his lower back. He frowned.
"Oh, so this is that type of dinner. Come in," He opened the door wider and allowed Sakura to come in, only for him to stand in Ren's way. "You a ninja?"
"Yes Sir," Ren said nervously. Daisuke pulled up the sleeves of his shirt to show his tattoo. "Oh, Ex-Anbu. I didn't know you were a ninja, Sir."
"Not 'Ex' Anbu, retired. And no one does. No one except for my wife, and you, now." Making sure he understood what he meant, he opened the door again and allowed him to come in.
"Daddy, what did you do?" Sakura said once her father entered the foyer.
"I don't like that guy, Sakura." She frowned. Why is that everyone's first opinion?
"You don't know him yet, Dad. At least get to know him before you start making threats." She turned around and started for the living room. Is there something about him that puts people off? Because everyone around her hates Ren. She rolled her eyes. They were just going to have to deal with it though. She stepped into the living room and her eyes widened.
"Kimura…what are you doing here?" Sakura said through gritted teeth.
"Oh, me? I'm here with my date." She replied icily.
"Your date?" Sakura scanned the room. She looked at Naruto, to which he shook his head. When she turned to Sasuke, he nodded to his right. Upon turning back to Kimura, she took a step closer to Kakashi and placed her hand on his chest and the other on his lower back.
"Bingo."
Kimura? Here with Kakashi? Unbelievable.
"What the hell is your problem? You're here with Ren!" Kimura yelled.
"So why are you here with Kakashi?" Sakura yelled back.
"He's my date, asswipe!" Sakura glared.
"Oh that's right. You got those breast implants done last week. You're definitely his type now, honey." Kimura glowered. "And I wouldn't say 'Date', especially when escort can be substituted much more nicely." She gasped.
"You slut!"
"Prostitute!"
"Whore!" It was Sakura's turn to gasp. She shot up and pointed a finger across the coffee table.
"You bitch! Take that back!" A smug look appeared on Kimura's face.
"Why? Because it's true? I heard you've been sleeping with Sasuke, Ren, and Kakashi!" Sakura's eyes widened as she lunged for the civilian. She didn't get far before she was pulled back by her waist.
"What about Akio and Haruki? You think I didn't know you slept with both of them? On the same night?" Kimura reached for her hair, as Sakura's hands shot out for her neck.
"When are they going to stop?" Naruto whispered to Sasuke, to which he shrugged.
"I don't really know Kimura, but by the looks of it, they're just alike. This could go on for hours." Naruto sighed. That's just what he needed. But he did want to see how this civilian fared in a cat fight against Sakura. He turned his attention to Ren and saw him smiling. This made him frown. Getting up, he stomped over to where he was and grabbed his shoulder.
"What are you doing?" Ren's eyes took their time to turn away from the cat fight.
"Huh? Oh, nothing." This made his frown run deeper. Naruto wasn't that tall. He would like to think that he was, but compared to this man, he wasn't. Despite all of this, he pulled Ren over to another corner of the room.
"Are you cheating on Sakura? 'Cause you're doing a really good job at hiding your concern." He growled. Ren tensed.
"N-no, why would I be?" It was subtle, but Naruto heard the nervousness in his voice. This made the anger bubble up inside of him. Ren's eyes widened when he saw bright blue turn into a deep red. Naruto grabbed the collar of his shirt.
"If you're cheating on her, so help me God. When she's done with you, it's my turn." He finished with a push. He stalked back over to Sasuke who sensed his distress.
"What'd you find out?" Naruto breathed through his nose.
"Nervousness. I didn't want to believe it, but I think this guy really has Sakura fooled. All of us, to tell you the truth." Naruto sighed at how good Ren hid himself. "Grade-A player, Sasuke. And she just doesn't know." Not only did this make both of them angry, it also made their hearts clench painfully.
"It's none of your business! Remember, we're not friends anymore!" She pushed Sakura.
"Because you ended it!" Sakura pushed back.
"You wanted to become a stupid ninja! We wouldn't be in the same classes! We would never even see each other anymore!" Sakura stopped.
"That didn't mean you had to end it, Kimura." Sakura's father walked through the swinging door from the kitchen.
"Alright, girls. That's enough. Come in and eat." The frown was evident on Sakura's face as Kimura walked past her. She grabbed Kakashi's arm as he tried to follow after her.
"I can't believe you, Kakashi. I just hope you get what you want out of this dinner." He frowned as Sakura pushed past him into the dining room.
He wasn't going to get what he wanted, because he didn't want Sakura to end up with a broken heart.
"So when is your next mission?" Sakura stuck her fork into her mouth and started to chew. She swallowed before answering.
"Actually, it's tomorrow, mother. We're going to Yugakure." Hanako's eyes lit up.
"You mean that Hot Springs Village? Oh, that place is delightful. Your father took me there on our honeymoon. We barely ever left the springs." A look of disgust was frozen on Sakura's face as she proceeded to spit the food from her mouth into a napkin.
"Dad, make her stop." Daisuke smiled.
"That's alright, Hanako. We're here for other reasons, aren't we?" Sakura's eyes widened.
"Daddy, that's not what I meant—"
"Now, now, Sakura. Which one is the boyfriend I'm going to be grilling tonight?" Sakura sighed. Her father wasn't present for the last boyfriend dinner, and it seems that one would've went a lot better since he actually likes Sasuke. But he already voiced his opinions on disliking Ren, and she hadn't counted on that.
"This is Ren, mother. Watanabe Ren." Sakura sighed when she saw her mother frown. And it begins…again.
"I don't believe we've met, Hanako-san." Hanako pursed her lips.
"Where are you from? You're definitely not from Fire. Look at his skin tone." Sakura didn't know how her mother could tell that, especially since there are many Fire natives with olive skin, including her husband.
"I'm from Suna, Hanako-san." Ren replied. To Sakura's surprise, her mother's eyes shone with interest.
"Oh? What do you do? I'm sure you're a ninja." He nodded. Sakura's eyes narrowed. Her mother was never interested in anything that Sasuke did.
"I'm an interrogator." And then she smiled. Sasuke, to the right of her, tapped her leg. She turned to face him.
"Don't worry," She whispered. "I'm just as surprised as you are."
"How old are you?" Hanako asked, her interest piqued. Sakura closed her eyes. The seemingly good start had already started to dwindle with that question. Her mother didn't want Sakura to date older men. She actually forbid it. Something about them always getting disinterested and moving on to find someone younger. With that said, it's a wonder she kept a hold on her father. Hanako was 17 when she met 26 year old Daisuke. And they're still together, so why shouldn't she be able to be with Ren?
"28, ma'am." He said.
"Oh, great!" Sakura was surprised for the third time that night.
"That's way too old, Hanako." And then it went straight to hell. Hanako turned with furrowed eyebrows to her husband.
"What do you mean that's way too old? He's only 28." Daisuke frowned.
"But Sakura's only 23." Sakura sighed. There's the trouble that was supposed to come earlier.
"And I was only 17, but you had no qualms about spending the night with me!" Daisuke narrowed his eyes.
"Hanako, watch your mouth." She frowned.
"Or what, Dai? You just can't accept that I like her boyfriend." Hanako said as she shoved her nose into the air.
"Yeah, well I don't." Daisuke countered with the crossing of his burly arms.
"Daddy!" Sakura shouted.
"No, Sakura. I don't like him. And I don't think you should see him anymore." When she envisioned the dinner, she had thought her mother would be the one to say those words, just like she said them about Sasuke. But her father was rarely serious and he was always playful. For him to be telling her not to see him was…very shocking. Not to mention it hurt. She was her father's only child. She was spoiled, and he usually obliged with whatever she wanted to do. And this would probably be the first time that Daddy's little girl didn't get what she wanted.
"But Daddy—"
"No, Sakura. It's alright." Ren said as he put a hand on her waist while keeping eye contact with her father. Daisuke glared.
"It's not alright." She grumbled. Seeing the odd stare her father was giving Ren, she tried to shift out of his grasp, only for him to pull her closer. Much to Sakura's dismay he grabbed the back of her head and crushed his lips to hers. Just like with Nao. She thought. Her hands were pressed against his chest when he started to bite at her lower lip. She slowly but surely pushed him off of her. "Ren, why the hell would you do that? In front of my father no less!" She whispered. He just smiled smugly, attention still on Daisuke.
"We're getting married." Daisuke shot up and banged his hands on the table.
"What did you just say?" Her father said in dark voice. Sakura's eyes widened as Naruto and Kakashi turned to her, their eyes much the same. Sasuke just leaned back and closed his eyes. His indifference bothered her.
"We're getting married." He pulled Sakura up alongside him and crushed his body against hers. She pushed her hands against his chest.
"Hold on, Ren. Daddy," Daisuke's eyes narrowed.
"You are not getting married." He growled. Naruto and Kakashi's eyes were still focused on her. She turned to her father.
"Daddy, you're not being reasonable. Just—"
"No, Sakura." She pursed her lips as her eyebrows furrowed. She felt like stomping her foot on the ground, throwing a tantrum, anything to show him what he was saying was wrong.
"Then we'll elope." Ren said in a matter-of-fact tone. Her head whipped back.
"No we won't."
"No you won't," Daisuke added. Ren looked down at her with narrowed eyes.
"Sakura, we're getting married." She tried to move his hand from around her waist to lessen the anger of her father, but he wouldn't budge.
"Maybe we should think about it more. It was really sudden, Ren." He frowned.
"I seem to remember you agreeing to marry me before we had sex, Sakura." He said with a smile. Her eyes widened.
"Ren!" Her father started to move around the table and Hanako got up to stop him.
"I'll kill that bastard," Daisuke growled as Hanako placed a hand on his chest.
"Sakura you had sex with him?" Naruto said, his voice high and laced with unbelief. "Why would you go and do something so irresponsible?" She narrowed her eyes. If she had to recall, Naruto was the one telling her she was missing out a few days ago.
"Irresponsible? Naruto, I—"
"Sakura, a word please." She heard Kakashi say from across the room. And he didn't sound happy. Something not too different from the rest of them in the room. She moved to go around Ren, but she was forcefully pulled back.
"She's not going anywhere." Her head snapped back and she narrowed her eyes at Ren.
"I'm just going to talk to him for a second, Ren." She tried to move again, but the grip on her waist tightened…painfully. "Can you get off of me?"
"No. I said you're not going anywhere, Sakura. Especially not with that, bastard." She glared at him.
"I'm the only one who can call him a bastard." She growled. "Move your hands."
"What? So you can go kiss him some more?" Her eyes widened.
"Hanako. I'm going to kill him," Daisuke growled once more.
"So, if you don't let her go now, you'll probably die." Kakashi said cheekily. Sakura finally got herself out of his grasp before pushing through the swinging door. Kakashi followed. When they were out of earshot, he ran his hands through his hair.
"Married? You're going to get married?" He whispered harshly. She crossed her arms over her chest and bit her lip.
"I don't know, Kakashi. It was all of a sudden. He said he loved me, so I…had…se—"
"Why the hell would you have sex with him? God, Sakura!" Kakashi slapped his hand over his eyes as Sakura took a seat in one of the armchairs. "Do you know what you just did?"
"Yes…Kind of." He sighed.
"You just gave your virginity to a bastard, Sakura. Damn it!" He started to pace back and forth. This was a mess that she couldn't get herself out of. She couldn't marry that dick! He was a horrible person, and that was clearly proved by the way he acted in front of her parents. There are just some things you don't talk about in front of old folk. Things like sex. And he just said he had sex…with their daughter. Damn, if he wasn't dead by the time they got back in there, a miracle had just taken place.
"He loves me,"
"Yeah, right." He scoffed.
"And I love him." She finished more firmly. Kakashi stopped and bent over to place his hands in front of her on the coffee table.
"You disregarded all of our advice, Sakura. If you want to marry him, be my guest. It's not my life that you're fucking up." She jumped at what he said. He turned on his heel and started for the dining room. "Be packed and ready at the Hokage Tower. 8 AM sharp…Watanabe." Her eyes widened as she heard him push through the door. She's never felt that…dismissed by Kakashi, ever. She watched with tear-brimmed eyes as the door continued to swing long after he passed through it.
She really couldn't explain what she was feeling at the moment. Earlier today, she felt that she loved Ren, and she didn't care about what they said. And now…she just didn't know. She hurriedly wiped her tears, smudging her make-up in the process, and walked back to the dining room.
"I want him out of my fucking house, Sakura! Now." In her absence, Ren must've done something to upset her father even more. His usually olive skin was now tinged pink and she saw her mother in front of him whispering reassuring words. She's never seen her father that angry in her life. And for someone to upset the usually carefree man, who let words and insults slide off of him like water, it had to be bad. But Ren, on the other hand, was smiling. And that had to upset her father even more.
She moved automatically through blurry vision. She didn't say goodbye to her parents, something also out of the norm. But this night wasn't exactly normal, either. She followed the rest of the guests out of the door and into the night. She couldn't really stop the tears now, and she didn't know why. She also didn't know what she actually expected out of tonight. She knew it wasn't going to be a good night, but this was downright horrible. Her father surprised her in more ways than one. Ren surprised her in more ways than one. She noticed it on the way to Kannabi Bridge, but she didn't really think it mattered. How he took way too much pleasure in Nao's distress. And now, for it to show up again in front of her father, it was just something she couldn't miss.
And look at her. Her father was disappointed, Naruto and Sasuke were disappointed, and Kakashi…he was upset. Somehow, her decisions upset him more than it should have. And now that Kakashi was upset, she had no choice but to cry. What else was there to do when the two men around her who rarely show any negative emotion are now at her neck because of Ren?
She needed a drink, and she needed it now.
"What are you having?" Sakura picked her head up from the counter and twirled her finger around.
"Sake," She replied with a wave of her hand.
"Bottle?" He asked as he wiped the counter down with his white rag.
"Oh yes." And she was going to need it. As the bartender went to go handle her drink, she took a scan of the room. Maybe she shouldn't have picked a strip club as the spot to get a drink, but it was the closest bar, and she needed one quickly. She noticed right away near the back of the club was Naruto, dancing with one of the strippers. A little ways over was Sasuke. A lot of people probably didn't notice it, but he was really enjoying that lap dance. On the other side of the room was Kakashi and Kimura.
This made her sigh. Kimura was strikingly beautiful. Her bright red hair and honey eyes contrasted perfectly with each other. Not to mention, her body was a wonderland. Her long legs looked even longer in the heels she was donning, and her short dress could make her fit in with any one of the dancers at the club. But there it was. Red hair, big bust, long legs. She was definitely Kakashi's type. And the fact that there was a possibility that Kakashi could be taking her home tonight hurt her. The fact that he won't be in her home tomorrow morning, begging for her forgiveness for leaving her again hurt the most. And from what she could see, how she was dreamily gazing into his onyx eyes, and how he was laid back in his booth, seemingly not paying attention but very interested, the chance of them having sex was very high. And it bothered her very much.
"Your bottle, miss." She nodded at the bartender as he brought her the Sake and a shot glass. Uncorking the bottle, she took a nice long drink.
"That feels so much worse." She said, closing her eyes as the Sake burned as it traveled down her throat. She looked back to the couple and found her playing with his hands. If she and Kimura were still friends, then it would be her coming to Sakura's apartment tomorrow morning, spilling the details of her adventure with the famed Hatake Kakashi. But they weren't, and it was sad.
Kimura told her flat-out that they couldn't hang out anymore because Sakura was going to be a ninja. They were six, and even now the hurt still registers. Kimura, along with the other civilians that went to the Academy for regular learning, made fun of her. For being a ninja, for being insecure, for being Sakura. But that's what civilians did. They didn't like ninja, as much as ninja didn't like civilians. The feeling was mutual, and it was alright in the Village. But Sakura just didn't know just how much she would be betrayed by her friend because she wanted to do something better.
Even now how Kimura continued to mock her. They rarely see each other in the Village, but when they do…She never knew that she and Kakashi knew each other. She never guessed Kakashi was one to date, and the coincidence must lie where they showed up together at her dinner. She would've loved to talk to Kimura about Kakashi; maybe she knew some of his deep-dark secrets. She would've loved for Kimura to enlighten her on all the mysteries she was privy to by being involved in Kakashi's private life. She was a part of Kakashi's private life because of course, she was private to everyone else Kakashi ever knew. And she wanted to know why.
Absent-mindedly thinking on this fact, when Sakura saw Kimura get up and walk towards the washroom, Sakura put her bottle back on the counter and followed. Although, she would have to apologize to someone very dear, and it was probably going to be one of the hardest things she's done in a while.
Walking through the club was agonizing. Not only because she was going to talk to Kakashi, but because some jerk kept pinching her ass. Finally turning around, she narrowed her eyes as to who the 'jerk' was.
"Hey babe." She turned back around and continued to walk, only for him to jump in front of her. "I said, 'Hey babe.'"
"What do you want, Ren." She said, putting her hands on her hips. He smiled slyly.
"Maybe we could go home, and…you know." Her eyebrows raised.
"Not right now, Ren." He shrugged.
"Then I guess I just want a lap dance." He replied cheekily.
"That's not happening." She said with a roll of her eyes. Who did he think she was?
"And it's not because you don't know how to, because you're a Ku—"
"Don't say that word." She threatened, poking him in the chest. He narrowed his eyes.
"Sakura, just one dance." He pleaded. She stood her ground.
"I said no, Ren." He let out a groan, much like a child, and pushed past her.
"You never give me what I want." He grumbled. He was drunk and she knew this. Very drunk on top of that. She could smell it in his breath, and she could see it in his stagger. She turned to watch his retreating back, wondering as to what exactly he meant by that. But that certainly didn't matter at the moment. Kimura was still gone, and Kakashi was still seated at his booth with his book open, which was only a few more paces away.
She slid into the seat quietly and folded her fingers. He looked up from his book for a second, and his eyes paused on her. Then they went back to his page.
"Kakashi?" Pause…No response. "Are you mad at me?" It was a trivial thing to ask, especially since she knew he was upset.
"I told you about him, Sakura. But you ignored me." He finished with a sigh and a turned page. She flattened her hands on the old table.
"So you don't believe that I love him?" His snapped his book shut and placed it on the table.
"No, I know that you love him."
"Then what's the—"
"Let me finish," He said as he raised a finger. Her eyes widened. "You're moving way too fast, Sakura. You've only just met him and you're already in love. I know you're brash, but even that doesn't make sense." He finished dismissively, as he played with the pages of his book. She frowned.
"You don't know, Kakashi…" She whispered with a sigh. He looked up at her now, his eyes narrowed and calculating.
"I don't know what? Please enlighten me. I'm sure this has to be much different than the bullshit that you continuously feed me." He said sarcastically. She closed her eyes in anger, ignoring his comment.
"He was all I had, Kakashi. A dim light in that dark hell hole. He kept me afloat and watched helplessly as they tortured me. He put false hope of escape into my mind, something that helped me to hold on. There was nothing else he could do. And because he was there for me, I developed feelings for him." She finished through gritted teeth. "Again, the only one there for me. Were you there, Kakashi?" She asked accusingly, her voice full of bitterness. His eyes twitched at the depth of her words, the meaning behind them. "Because shit, if you were, I probably would've fell in love with you, too." He got over his shock and shook his head.
"Apparently love really is blind…" He whispered to himself.
"What?" She asked. His eyes narrowed and he folded his hands together in front of him. He exhaled.
"I don't usually butt into your love life, Sakura. I really don't care too much either. But I'm doing you a favor when I tell you this. He does not love you." She bit her lip to keep it from shaking, and her hands turned to fists as she got up.
"I'm sorry, Kakashi. I really am this time." She turned on her heels and headed for the washroom. He couldn't do this to her. Ren had his flaws…many of them. As did Kakashi. But Ren was hers. And if Kakashi couldn't deal with that, then he just didn't deserve to be called her friend.
"I'm sorry. I just had to freshen up." Kakashi sighed as he got a whiff of her when she slid into the booth.
"Really." He deadpanned. She reached for his hand.
"So, how about we ditch this lame club, and we can go back to my place?" She whispered seductively. Kakashi moved his hand out of her reach and stood.
"Timera, is it? Look. I'm sure you're a nice girl and all, but I don't do sloppy seconds. Why don't you head on back to your first catch?" Kimura frowned as she stood with a stomp and grabbed her purse off the table. "It was fun, if that counts for anything."
"It's Kimura!" Kakashi shrugged. Names weren't his forte. She was a beautiful girl, but he didn't know who she was with before, and he didn't want to risk catching something. Sakura knew best, he supposed…
"Ren," Sakura called, taking the few steps to close the space between them. His eyebrows furrowed.
"Look, Sakura. I'm—"
"No. Just listen." She sighed, taking his hands in hers. "You're not perfect. You're nowhere near it. And you have flaws just like everyone else. A lot of people have been telling me a lot of things the past few days, and I can't—I won't entertain them. I can't just jump when everybody tells me to. As long as I know you're good for me, I think that's all that matters." She finished firmly. He smiled.
"I love you, Sakura." She moved in for a hug.
"I love you too." He wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed. She closed her eyes.
So where would everything go from there?
Kakashi had so much hostility toward her. Sasuke would only show indifference, and it was unlikely that he would tell her how he actually felt. Naruto usually displays his feelings openly. She was sure he wouldn't stay mad at her for long, right? But her dad…He was furious. And as long as she was with Ren, it wouldn't get better. She could only assume the relationship she had with her father was now in ruins.
But Ren…right now, he was worth it. He proved his usefulness in captivity. There, she knew he only wanted her for what she was supposed to look like. Her face was bruised, purple, and she had cuts all over. She knew she was balding even though she wasn't allowed a mirror. She was dirty and stinky most of the time, and she didn't know how he could stand her breath. So what was it? Sakura wasn't a catch, or the kind of woman that people like him usually search for. Kakashi's type. And she definitely wasn't that. She was…she was Sakura and he loved her for that. And she loved him for just being Ren. They loved each other and they could just be…they could just be Ren and Sakura if everyone would just let them be. If Kakashi knew her like he claimed he knew her, he would know that she was stubborn. She found a good thing, she found someone new, someone different…so why was everyone against her holding onto it?
Opening her eyes, she found that she didn't have the energy to find that out anymore. If they were against her, that was fine. She wouldn't follow them to the ends of the earth just to find out why. She wouldn't chase them down for all eternity, especially not Kakashi. She figured they were fine just as they were.
And then she saw it.
The smallest thing wiped her previous thoughts from her mind and had something tightly clenching on her heart. She plucked it off of his shoulder and held it up.
"This can't—" Her breath caught. He pulled back to look at her staring at her fingers in the light.
"Sakura?" He questioned, his eyebrows furrowed.
"Ren—No. They weren't right." She tried to reassure herself as her eyes were frozen on the small bane of her existence between her fingertips.
"Sakura, what's wrong with you?" She squeezed her eyes shut as a single tear fell down her cheeks, her world crashing down with it.
"This, Ren." She said through gritted teeth. Holding it up to his eyes, his expression fell as he recognized it. She turned away, pained.
"Sakura—"
"I don't have red hair, Ren!" She shouted in sobs, waving the single strand of hair in front of his eyes. "I don't! Not even close." She finished in a harsh whisper, her teeth clenched. He closed his eyes.
"Sakura—"
"Stop saying my name!" She shouted, slapping him hard across the face. Then, her hands dropped to her sides, the strand of hair still between her fingers. "So what, Ren? Were you just hugging on a female you didn't know or—" He interrupted her with his sigh. He closed his eyes, running a hand through his long black hair. She closed her eyes and bit down on her lip.
"I had sex with her." She choked out a sob as she fell to her knees.
He turned his head as he heard shouting coming from the other side of the strip club. He sighed when he found out the root of the problem. Sakura and Ren were arguing, and he'd rather not get involved, if he could help it.
"How could you? I thought—"
"Sakura, stop it. I lo—"
"Don't say that to me!" He heard a loud pop, suggesting that someone just got slapped. He could only assume it was Ren, and he could only wonder what wrong he could've done in Sakura's eyes. Sighing, again, he raised himself.
"Sakura, get off of the fl—"
"Get away!" He watched as Ren was shoved and he stumbled back into the nearby booth. He quickly got back up again.
"Stop this, Sakura! I just—"
"No!" She shouted, raising herself from the floor. "Just no." She pleaded squeezing her eyes shut. "Over and over again—I trusted you, Ren. Despite everything that everyone else has told me about you, I disregarded them and believed in you. Those eyes, and your seemingly smooth words…just lies. And you let me believe in them. You let me believe that we would—" Fresh tears poured from her closed eyes as she thought of their previous arrangement.
"And I still want to—!" She moved quickly, and as she ran to him, her fist swung back. She didn't want to hear the words, she didn't want to hear the words. Just the sound of his voice made it harder to breathe, caused her emotions to bubble deep within her. Her fist collided with his face and he flew back. She crumbled to the floor.
"Sakura!" Kakashi called out, running to her form on the floor. He reached for her. "Sakura, it's okay. Just calm down—" She punched him into a booth not too far away. "Ow…" He felt his back crack as the table broke. He was temporarily paralyzed as he laid in the midst of the pieces of the broken booth. When he opened his eyes, she was in front of him.
"I just…I just wanted to handle things on my own. I wanted to love someone, Kakashi. I wanted Ren for myself, I wanted to be with Ren, but you just….you couldn't let me have even the smallest satisfaction of being able to have a significant other. If you…if you didn't invite Kimura…" Her voice broke. This wasn't Sakura. Standing in front of him was a woman whose next moves he couldn't read because of her actions. Her words said that she was angry at him, but her expression…Tears continuously flowed from her eyes. Her make-up was smudged, and her lips wouldn't stop quivering. She looked broken, she looked defeated, she looked unable to do anything else but cry as she stood in front of him, her body racked with sobs and her shoulders shaking.
This wasn't Sakura.
"Damn…" He whispered, letting his head fall back as she continued to cry in front of him. She screamed in anguish, and the next thing he knew, she was kicking aside another table and chairs to his right, a piece of wood coming really close to his last good eye. Apparently her moods still change impressively fast.
"You ruin everything for me!" Further off, he heard the smashing noises of more property. If they weren't careful, Sakura would take down the stage with only her foot.
"Naruto," Kakashi called as he felt his damp mask, "Get security. Maybe she'll listen to authority." Naruto ran and did as told. Sakura took this time to take care of unfinished business: Kakashi. Standing above him was a petite pink haired woman who could pack a hell of a punch.
"Do you know how much it hurt for you guys not to support me? It hurt badly. But I didn't care, because I was in love, and I was going to get married. But now look," She grabbed his shirt. "Look how the night has blown up in my face! Is that what you wanted? Huh?" A man grabbed her other arm.
"Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Sakura scowled and pushed the man off of her arm. It wasn't forceful, but he still fell.
"I hate you, Kakashi." And with that, she ran out of the club. He absent-mindedly watched the way her hips swayed.
"I really need to get a new hobby."
He took a swig of his beer, laying back on his couch. As it traveled down his throat, he thought of how horribly screwed up tonight was.
He didn't quite have the guts to call Sakura crazy. The walls have ears, and he was sure that if he even thought it, somehow, Sakura would find out. And that would not be good for him while she's in one of her moods. She just showed an onslaught of them at the club. From sad, to angry, to sad, to furious, to punchy, to furious, to missing. All he could say was she's a handful. But she's his responsibility…somehow.
He sighed.
He feared for her wellbeing, now that Ren's skeleton had finally come out of the closet. He expected it, just not like this. He didn't expect Ren to propose, and he didn't expect Sakura's mother to be okay with it. Her father maybe, but not her mother. And if the news of tonight got around to Daisuke, Ren would surely be castrated. He would've done it himself if he wasn't so out of it. If Sakura hadn't punched him into a wooden booth, broke a few of his ribs, and given him a concussion, yeah, Ren would be a dead man.
But first thing is first. He had to find Sakura, because he couldn't just let her leave like that. Not on that note. Not on 'I hate you'. Kakashi was very in control of his emotions, but he had to say, that hurt. Bad. Hate was a strong word, and Sakura never used it in conjunction with a person unless she truly meant it. She didn't even say she hated Ren, yet here he was. Hated. Now, she told them millions of times that they didn't have to go after her when she was in between tempers, but Kakashi knew that if he didn't find her soon, what they had left of their dwindling friendship would be gone.
He just hoped to God she didn't go and destroy another training ground. Those things were hard to rebuild. Not that he knew of course, it just looked like Tenzou had a hard time building all those trees and repairing the ground again. He also hoped she didn't go and find Ren. Like what happened with Sasuke, she did not need a repeat. If Timera stayed at the club, she was safe. Sakura couldn't go back there; he was sure she was banned. And Sakura wouldn't try to kill a civilian…at least not consciously.
He heard three sharp knocks on his door and hesitated.
It could be Sakura, the business end of her Katana waiting for him as soon as he opened the door, it could be Ren, on his knees, begging for help and forgiveness, or, it could just be—nothing. Nothing else came to him, and those two scenarios he just imagined didn't have the best outcome for either party. Right now he just prayed to Kami that it was Naruto.
Opening his door, his eyebrows furrowed.
"Hatake-san?" It was a Chunin, no older than 15, his facial expressions mirroring Kakashi's.
"Yes?"
"I need you to sign here to confirm you are the emergency contact for Haruno Sakura." He panicked, quickly snatching the clipboard from the boy's hand. Sakura wrote him down as her emergency contact? Well, it made sense considering that going to her parent's about her ninja business would only make them want to take her out of it. But then, for there to be contact, there must've been an emergency…He scratched his name down on the sheet of paper.
"What happened?" He asked.
"She was admitted in to the Mental Ward approximately an hour ago. I was told to escort the emergency contact to the premises." He relaxed, she wasn't in grave danger…But still, the Mental Ward? Again?
"You've got to be kidding me."
I should give each and every one of you a cupcake for waiting so diligently. So look, I almost lost my inspiration, but a good night's rest of scenarios on how the story could go brought me back. In the chapter, I know. Sakura made some bad decisions. Sue me. But you have to remember the *cough* intercourse for later. Important people.
Anyways.
Sorry I took so long. School started again, and books are heavy. If you really want that cupcake, you need to review. I'm serious.
-Keoo19