What Happens Now...

Sorry for the wait. Inspiration eluded me again. Oh, by the way, I do read your reviews! I just delete them after I'm done so I know what chapter ya'll were talking about. Having to deal with 30 reveiws from different chapters would give me a headache! Well enough of waiting. On with the chapter!!

(Sasuke’s POV)
No matter what, everything was going to end tonight. I wasn’t going to allow Kizu to hurt Naruto anymore. Yes, I know that the rest of the village hates him and in extreme cases they even throw things or scream profanities at him, but Kizu went one step too far. He almost killed Naruto. In my eyes, he had no redeeming quality. I could care less that his is the father of a former team-mate or that he only had the best intentions for village. Haruno Kizu laid a hand on my dobe and he was going to pay for it.

These thoughts kept passing through my mind as I leapt from rooftop to rooftop, taking myself closer to the bastard’s residence. With each step, a new anger arose within me. This man had no right to do what he did to Naruto. I may not know what exactly happened that night, but it was enough to scare Naruto into not telling me. So far, my plan was working. I had used a henge to conceal myself from other shinobi, even masking my own chakra, knowing that it would be a dead giveaway if I hadn’t. I wasn’t about to make a mistake and get caught.

Anger made time seem to fly by. Before I knew it, I was outside the Haruno household. All the lights were out, the family inside probably fast asleep in their own little dream worlds. This only pissed me off even more. The fact that these people could sleep soundly after the crimes that the head of the house committed, it made me sick to my stomach. I pushed off from the ground and landed silently in the tree beside the building. I climbed out to a branch that was close enough to one of the windows. Peering inside, I noticed that the window belonged to Sakura’s room, or what I assumed to be her room. The bed that lay inside the room was empty, void of Sakura. I just assumed that she was with Ino or someone, talking about how to steal me away from Naruto. Clearing my mind of the pathetic girl, I refocus my attention on her room. As far as I could see there were medical supplies, kunai, and even a shuriken. But what really caught my eye was a picture on her desk. It was the one of the former team 7, before we all realized what our futures held. What would our lives have been like if I had never left or if Naruto never had Kyuubi inside of him? Would I be a ninja? Would I still have fallen in love with Naruto? There’s no time for ‘what if’ scenarios. Nothing was going to change the past, no matter how many times I wanted it to.

Carefully, I lifted the window open. Normally I would be worried about traps, but why would any member of the Haruno family believe that they were threatened? The window opened easily. I climbed into the room, making sure I made as little noise as possible. Pausing, I let my ears check if there was any movement in the house. None, I was safe. I released the henge that was over me, knowing that no one but Kizu was going to see me. I wanted the man to fear the Uchiha clan, to fear me. Walking to the door, I open it into the hallway. I crept down the hallway, moving slowly as to not create any unwanted noise. The hallway opened up into the living room and onto a sight that made bile rise into my throat. There lying on the ground was Haruno Kizu, in a pool of his own blood. From the shadows of the corridor, I could tell that Kizu’s eyes were staring straight up at the ceiling, as if he was ambushed. His clothes were torn and bloody. Gashes covered him, not one inch of this man wasn’t scarred. What made my stomach lurch the most was his face. All of the flesh had been removed, not one scrap of skin was left. It looked like a painful death, almost as if he was tortured beforehand. A quick glance at his throat told me that he died from a kunai to the jugular. Repulsion from the sight quickly subsided and was replaced with rage. The one thing I wanted to do for Naruto, the one thing I had the power to do was taken away from me. I charged over to the corpse and grabbed it by the shoulders.

“WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT TO NARUTO !! YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT, I WAS THE ONE WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO KILL YOU!! ” Fury pulsed through my veins. I didn’t care that his blood was all over me. All I wanted was an answer that I knew all too well that I knew I wasn’t going to get from a dead man. Pulling back one of my arms, I slammed my fist into what remained of Kizu’s face.

“YOU SPINELESS COWARD!! WHY COULDN’T YOU FACE NARUTO? WHAT KIND OF MAN WOULD BLAME HIM FOR WHAT HAPPENED 15 YEARS AGO!! IT WASN’T HIS FAULT! IT WASN’T NARUTO’S FAULT!! ” While I was screaming, I kept punching Kizu’s face. My knuckles had become raw and bloody; wether it was my blood or Kizu’s I didn’t care. I let go of the body, too drained to continue. Kizu’s lifeless body dropped to the ground, totally oblivious to my pain. My knees gave out and I fell to the floor myself. I sank to the floor, now totally covered in Kizu’s blood. Tears were brimming in my eyes from hatred. The hatred of the dead man that lay before me and for the person who killed him, taking away my chance.

“It’s not fair...” I whisper. I just wanted to shut myself off from the world, like I had during my time in the sound. Suddenly I feel chakra all around me, strong chakra. My head shoots up just in time to see who the chakra belongs to.

“Stop right there Uchiha Sasuke.” ANBU. There were five of them, having me surrounded. What were they doing here? Who alerted them? “You are now under
the watch of ANBU for the murder of Haruno Kizu. You will come with us to have a hearing in front of Hokage-sama. She will be the one to decide your punishment for this crime.” If I had wanted to, I could have escaped these men without trouble. The funny thing was, I wanted them to take me to Hokage-sama. I was willing to pay for a crime I didn’t commit. Slowly I stand, putting my hands above my head in a sign of defeat.

“I’ll go quietly.”
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(Naruto’s POV)
“Sasuke?” I knew I had fallen asleep with him, but where was he now? Sighing, I get up from the bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I check every room in the house, no Sasuke. I look at the clock, 3:00 a.m. He should be sleeping, he had nowhere to go. I don’t want to panic, but I feel it starting to build within me. He must have had the same feeling when I disappeared. That last thought didn’t help my current state of mind. What if Sasuke was hurt? I didn’t want him to go through the same things I did that night. Though, I was pretty sure that no one in the village hated Sasuke as much as they hated me. ‘Kyuubi, can you sense Sasuke anywhere?” The fox was my last bit of hope before I let fear take over.

‘No kit, I can’t sense the Uchiha brat anywhere. Just go looking for him I’m not his babysitter.’ Perfect. I was about to loose my mind with worry and the old demon could give a fat rat’s ass. Putting Kyuubi’s words out of my mind, I dash out of my apartment, not caring to lock up the place. I needed to find Sasuke. Then it hit me.

“Obaa-chan.....” I whispered to the night air, making my decision to see her. I bypass the main entrance, knowing full well that I would only be blocked by guards. I climb up to the window that lead to the Hokage’s office. Luckily, it’s open. Now I only had to worry about Obaa-chan being there. I launch myself in the room, my feet hitting the floor hard.

“OBAA-CHAN...... !” I stop in mid yell, now noticing the occupants of the room. All the lights in the room were on and Tsunade obaa-chan was behind her desk, as usual. These weren’t the things that froze me to the very spot I was standing in. In front of the Hokage was five ANBU, all of them standing very still. Between them all was Sasuke. His hands were tied behind his back and he was blindfolded.

“Sasuke! ” I try to run to him, but my movements are blocked. Behind me is one of the ANBU, pressing a kunai into my throat. I still all movements, not wanting to get hurt.

“Stand down he’s not going to hurt anybody.” Tsunade ordered. Thank the gods she was on my side. The pressure from the kunai disappeared, the ANBU returned to his place among the others. My hand lightly touches my neck, making sure that I hadn’t acquired any injuries from my encounter with the elite shinobi. My eyes flash to Obaa-chan, demanding answers.

“What the hell is going on? Why is Sasuke bound up like some kind of criminal?” Tsunade obaa-chan turns towards me, her movements are careful.

“It’s because he is a criminal. He killed Haruno Kizu.” Blood drained from my face. No one had to explain anything further. Sasuke had found out who had tortured me. How? I only told....Damn her! I trusted Sakura Now Sasuke was going to be punished for something he should have never done because he was never supposed to find out. My arms felt lifeless at my sides. In the end, it was really all my fault. I should have told Sasuke earlier. Maybe then I could have persuaded him not to do anything. I turn towards my boyfriend, realizing that this might be our last moment together for a long time.
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(Sasuke’s POV)
No. Naruto shouldn’t be here. His presence had snapped me out of my twisted little world. I had forgotten all about Naruto when the ANBU had entered the bloodied room and I had only been thinking about the opportunity that I had lost. I felt ashamed. Naruto must be furious with me. Here I was, standing in front of Hokage-sama bound and blind folded, waiting for a punishment that I didn’t do anything to deserve. Feeling vibrations in the floor, I know that someone is coming towards me. I tense, not knowing who it was. Arms encircle my waist, pulling me closer into the embrace. It was Naruto. A hot liquid penetrated my shirt. Naruto was crying. I wanted to comfort him, but was physically unable to. All I could do was bury my head in the crook of his neck.

“Why....why did you do that Sasuke?” My heart caved at his words. I wasn’t about to admit to him that I killed Kizu when I hadn’t, even though that’s precisely what I was planning on doing. “I didn’t do anything, Naruto. I’m innocent.” I felt Naruto’s head leave my chest. I knew he was trying to look into my eyes, seeing if I was telling the truth. “I did find out that Kizu was the one who tortured you, but I swear on my clan, I didn’t kill him.” Silence filled the room. Naruto didn’t move a muscle. Did he believe me or was I damned to be punished for this crime?

“TSUNADE-SAMA, STOP!” My head turned to the sound of the door being pushed open. Suddenly, the knot that had held together my blindfold was undone.
Blinking, I let my eyes adjust to new found light. My arms were unbound just as quickly. I looked at Naruto standing in front of me, he looked stunned. I look behind me. Sakura. What was she doing here?

“Sasuke didn’t kill my father, I did.” Nothing was making sense. Why would Sakura kill her own father?

“What are you talking about Sakura?” Tsunade-sama stood, she looked furious. I saw Sakura flinch at the tone of Tsunade-sama’s voice. Sakura’s eyes turned down to the floor, her hands clasped in front of her, shaking.

“I did it. Not Sasuke.” She whispered. “Naruto told me about the night he was kidnapped. He only told me about that because he wanted me to know about Kyuubi, he didn’t tell me who tortured him. I was angry. No one should torture someone else just because they think it would benefit the village. I pushed Naruto to the ground and forced him to tell me who did it. He blurted it out, telling me that it was my own father that committed the crime.” She paused. I could see her entire body shaking now. “I didn’t want to accept it, but I knew that Naruto wouldn’t lie about something like that. Eventually, I realized it all made sense. My father pressured me into chasing after Sasuke. He told me it was my responsibility to help restore the Uchiha clan. Yet I couldn’t do that if Naruto got in the way. My father told me that he was going out drinking that night. I believed him, not realizing what horrors he was to bestow on Naruto that night.”

“Sakura, that really doesn’t explain why you killed your father. Sure you were being pressured by him to go after Sasuke, but that isn’t enough of a reason to kill him.” Tsunade-sama questioned. The atmosphere in the room was tense. What was Sakura thinking?

“I love Naruto.” What? How could she say that after treating him the way she had three years ago. In the past, she acted like Naruto was the lowest form of life possible, always ignoring him to dote on me. Yet....if her father forced her on me, then she would have to hide her feelings for Naruto. “I couldn’t stand that my father had almost killed Naruto. I wasn’t going to let him hurt Naruto or control me anymore. After I killed him, I panicked. Even on a mission, I had never killed anyone. I fled into the woods . I returned to find ANBU standing outside of my house. I stayed hiding, concealing my chakra. I didn’t want them to find me, but then I saw them bringing out Sasuke.” She then walked up to face me. Tears were in her eyes, but were as of yet shed. “I never meant for you to get involved. I don’t hate you Sasuke, I never did. At first I was mad that you took Naruto, but then I saw how happy he was with you. I couldn’t deny him that.” She looks away from me, turning to face Tsunade-sama. “Please Hokage-sama, punish me. I committed the crime against Haruno Kizu and I will take full responsibility for my actions.” Tsunade-sama stood, placing her clenched fists upon her desk.

“I’m very disappointed in you Sakura. I thought you were more intelligent than that.” Tsunade-sama then looked directly into Sakura’s eyes. “You could have been one of the greatest medical-nin there ever was, maybe even better than me.” She shook her head and then stood fully erect. “Haruno Sakura, I hereby sentence you to a lifetime of exile from Konoha. You are to leave immediately, never to return.” With that, all five of the ANBU surrounded Sakura and escorted her out of the small office. Naruto and I were left to stand there, dumbfounded. I look over to my quiet boyfriend, unsure of what to say to him. Shock was plain on his face. Suddenly, he was on the floor, clutching his arms to his chest.

“Why? Why did this all happen?” I could barely hear him. I knelt down next to him and gathered my dobe into my arms. He gathered my shirt in his hands, as if it were his lifeline.

“What’s done is done Naruto. We can’t change what happened. You still have me.” With this he looks up at me, locking his gaze with mine. I give him a light smile, the only one I could muster up. Naruto throws his arms around my neck and starts to sob uncontrollably. All I can do is rub his back, hoping that he can get past this. I look up to Tsunade-sama and see that pain is visible on her face as well, her eyes staring off into space. She just lost her most precious student. There was nothing I could do for the Hokage. Gathering the still crying Naruto into my arms, I face the Hokage.

“We’re going home. I think we’ve had enough for today.”

“Wait.” I stop midway out of the door. “I want you to report back here in the afternoon. You two have a mission to complete.” After all that we had been through in the last couple of hours, a new mission was the last thing I wanted to hear about.
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Ah, now was that a cool chapter or should have it stayed in the darkness? Review. Thanks again to Hina-chan for beta-ing this chapter. I couldn't do this without her!! Well, until next time kiddies!