What Happens Now...

Sorry!! I had so many things to do for school last week that I really didn't have time to write a chapter. I'm happy to say that I believe this is a good chapter. I had a lot of fun writing this one! Hope you enjoy!

(Naruto POV)
I hope Sasuke keeps his word. I know he has hard feelings towards Sakura, but I have to believe he’s strong enough to put those aside. We made it back to my apartment in record time, not wanting to waste anymore daylight. Heading straight for my bedroom, I found two backpacks for our mission. Searching through my drawers, I start to lay out weapons, clothes, and other materials that are essential to our mission. Sasuke enters the room and packs the things I have laid out into the bags. All of this is occurring in silence, knowing that words would just get in the way of what we were doing. The reality of the situation was that we were helping a criminal, despite
the fact that we were ordered to do so by the Hokage herself.

Finally finished emptying my dresser of everything we needed, I looked over at
Sasuke. His usual fluid motion has been replaced by calculating movements.
His face was wiped clean of any emotion and I felt like I couldn’t do anything to change that. Every muscle in Sasuke’s body seemed to portray that he was ready to take action if necessary. It had been years since I had prepared for a mission with him and I remembered how he used to act the exact same way. Now looking at him as his boyfriend, it scared me. How was he able to lock up all his emotions so easily? Was it
because of his time in the Sound? If I were to try and do the same thing, my facade would break instantly. I naturally let my emotions run freely, that’s the way I’ve always been.

My mind then jumped to one very startling conclusion. If Sasuke could build a wall so easily for a mission, what was to stop him from doing it to me? Clutching the cloth that covered my heart, a deep pain rushed through me. I wouldn’t be able to handle it if Sasuke did that to me. Even if he did so to protect me from harm, I wouldn’t be able to live with the fact that he couldn’t trust me enough to share his emotions.

My body started to feel heavy; my knees were to give way at any moment. Using my free hand, I steadied myself using the dresser for support. I couldn’t loose Sasuke again. Sure I had lost him physically for three years, but to loose him emotionally would shatter me completely. Arms grasped my biceps, shaking me back into the real world.

”Hey Naruto, are you ok?” My eyes flash to his, relief flooding through me. There, in his eyes, was nothing but concern and worry. I pull him into a tight hug, burying my face into his shoulder. His arms drop to his sides, probably confused by my actions.

“Thank you.” I whisper, unable to think of any other words that could express what I felt. His arms encircled my shoulders, a light chuckle escaping his throat.

“For what?” He asked. I pulled back from him so I could look into his face. Smiling, I realized that a few stray tears had escaped from my eyes. Sasuke’s eyes were once again flooded with concern.

“For not hiding yourself from me.” He just shook his head, bringing up a hand
to wipe away my tears. I leant into his touch, hoping to forget our mission for just a couple minutes longer.

“I could never hide my true self from you. I tried. That’s why I escaped to the Sound and I suffered everyday for it. You’re the only one I want to share myself with.” The honesty in his voice was overwhelming. How could I have found such a perfect person? Shouldn’t I be damned for eternity for what I contain? But I didn’t care. Sasuke was slowly helping me realize that I mattered, that I had my own life to lead and it wasn’t for it to be guided by the curse that resided inside of me. Remembering what we were supposed to be doing, I pulled away from Sasuke, letting my hand linger in his for a few brief seconds. Walking over to the bed and hoisting one of the packs onto my back, I turned and looked at Sasuke.

“I think it’s about time we left. Let’s go find Sakura.”
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Leaving the village wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. I pictured myself standing at the gates and looking back on the village one last time, but I never even paused for a second as I rushed through the gates. I guess I needed a break from Konoha after everything that had happened. I was sure I’d miss the place though, like I did every time I left.

We were racing through the trees like wildfire, barely touching the branches below. I wanted to get this mission started, thrilled to have one after being off of active duty for a month. There was really nothing like the feeling of being on a mission. The threat of attack at any moment, having to think on my feet, and the chance that I might get to fight someone strong sent adrenaline rushing through me. Only one thing kept me from being truly excited. Sakura.

I never wanted to see one of my closest friends do something like that. If only I had known her true feelings about me. All those years, I really believed that she hated me and loved Sasuke. Then when Sasuke was gone, she started to warm up to me. I thought she was just finally realizing that I was a nice guy, but I now see what she was really thinking. Sakura probably thought that Sasuke wasn’t going to come back and in turn could reveal her love for me. She no longer had to worry about her father forcing her upon Sasuke. I wish she would have talked to me before she killed her father. We might have been able to figure out an alternative or think of a way to expose Kizu for what he did to me. Now all I can do is hope she can live happily in the Sand.

Shaking any lingering regrets from my mind, I quickly check the map that indicated Sakura’s location. Noticing the small break in the trees, I know we’re close. Signalling to Sasuke, we dropped from the tree line and landed in the soft dirt. We walked towards the clearing, knowing that we wouldn’t get far with the dissipating light. Sasuke was the first to spot the small shack, looking as if it had weathered many a storm. The entire domicile was covered in moss, leaving the old wooden door as the only clear spot. As we approached, both of us flinched at the numerous seals that were secured all along the mossy shack. Did Tsunade obaa-chan really have to go that far? I guess she had lost all trust in Sakura after what she had done. I shook my head, wishing the events of the past were different so that the present wasn’t so sad.

“Come on, it looks like we have some work to do.” Sasuke stated quietly. He knew how much I cared for Sakura and how much it killed me to see her being put through this kind of treatment. I nod my head and we started releasing the seals. Some were quite easy, only requiring a few hand signs, but others were so complicated that Sasuke and I had to work together to even comprehend what needed to be done. It took us nearly an hour to undo all the seals. Sasuke looked exhausted, probably using up the little chakra that he had. Even a month later, he still hadn’t regained any chakra. I felt sorry for him. He used to be one of the top shinobi in our village, but now he barely had more chakra than Konohamaru. Looking back at the now unsealed
shack, I stepped towards the door. Sasuke lightly grasped my shoulder from behind.

“We’re on a mission now. Don’t let your emotions get in the way of what needs to be done.” Sasuke said firmly. I wanted to be angry at him for even telling me such a basic fact, but I knew that was exactly what I needed to hear. I couldn’t let my feelings for Sakura make me act any differently. I had to treat her like any other criminal; I had to distance myself from her. It was going to be hard, but with Sasuke there, I knew I could pull through.

I gently pushed the door open, not wanting to startle Sakura with quick movements. Peering inside it, I found it hard to distinguish anything in the small room, since there was no light. Coming up behind me, Sasuke clicked on a flashlight from his pack. Slowly, he sweeps it across the room, searching for our mission’s objective. Finally, the light comes to rest upon a small figure crouched in the corner. This couldn’t be Sakura… but I knew it was from the soft pink hair. Not really sure what to do, I walked over to her and crouched down to her level. Placing my hand lightly on her back, I tried to get her attention. As soon as my hand made contact with her back, Sakura’s head whipped up and she flinched away from me. I pulled my hand back quickly, not wanting to cause her any mental distress. Sakura’s eyes finally met with my own and they registered who I was, but this didn’t result in the reaction I wanted. Her fearful eyes became dull, as if she accepted her fate. Placing her feet under her, Sakura stands fully erect, her arms hanging lifelessly at her side. She then locked her gaze with mine.

“I assume you two are the ones that will take me to the Sand?” What happened to the Sakura that I once knew? The old Sakura would have fought for her right to stay. She would have tried to convince Tsunade obaa-chan that she would never kill again. This Sakura was dead. She had closed herself off to the worlds and locked away all emotions, keeping her face blank. Yet... I could tell she was in pain. Her eyes begged for tears to be released, wanting to show the emotions that her mind wouldn’t allow. Closing the distance between us, I wrapped my arms around her.

“No matter what, we still love you Sakura. We forgive you for what you did and I don’t blame you. We’ll be here for you, so don’t lock yourself away.”I whispered into her hair. She grasps the front of my shirt and her head sinks to my chest. Sakura starts to cry softly. All I can do is hold her tightly, wishing that I could take away her pain. I looked over at Sasuke and mouth a ‘sorry’. Only minutes before I had told him that I wouldn’t let my emotions get the better of me. I guess I couldn’t change what I was. Suddenly, I feel a light push on my chest. Stepping away from Sakura, I kept my hands resting on her shoulders. She looked up at me, some of the old Sakura coming back into her eyes.

“Thank you, both of you.” She gave me a half smile and then turned towards the door. Again I looked to Sasuke for his reaction. He just motioned for us to follow her, knowing he couldn’t say anything more to make the situation better.
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(Sasuke POV)
I really couldn’t understand the way Naruto felt. He was willing to jeopardize our mission by showing Sakura compassion. I had at one time called Sakura my friend, but now... I really couldn’t say that I still cared for her. She had and still was causing Naruto pain, pain that I was unable to take away. I warned Naruto against showing emotion, knowing if he did, it would only make our mission harder. I should have known better. He could never hide his true feelings from the ones he cherished, that was just who he was. Maybe that was why I love him so much. Naruto is so honest with himself and others that it could be scary sometimes, while I tend to hide myself from everyone. It’s my defense. It’s hard to get close to people when in the back of your mind you fear that you’ll loose them all in an instant.

I shut that thought out of my mind, not wanting another painful memory to surface because of it. Leaving the old shack, we don’t go too far. The sun has almost set completely and there really is no rush to get to the Sand. Tsunade-sama had ordered us to live in the Sand for a while, wanting to be able to get the village to settle down in our absence. How much good would this really do? Sure, they might forget what happened over the past couple of weeks, but can they really forgive? In the 16 years of Naruto’s life, they had never even acknowledged that he was a good person despite the fact that it was never his fault that the fox decided to almost destroy Konoha. As soon as we set foot inside of our village again, they’d remember what had happened and we’d be hunted down. If it wasn’t for Naruto’s love for that damn village, I would have taken him somewhere else. I was so tired of him being hated.

Bringing myself back to the here and now, I realize that things had gotten very quite. Naruto was keeping his distance from Sakura, probably not wanting to cause her any more distress than necessary. Staring at the two in front of me, I wondered how strong their relationship really had been while I’d been gone. In three years time, Sakura had gone from hating him to being one of his best friends. Of course it helped that she’d secretly loved him, but that was beside the point. Would Naruto have accepted her feelings if I had never come back? This single thought darkened my mood further. I really didn’t want to trust this girl. How could I know she ever had any real feelings towards me? She could have been setting me up with the murder of her father. Sakura could have framed me for it if she had wanted to and then she would have had Naruto all to herself. Sadly for her, Naruto’s feelings for me were stronger than she’d thought and she’d probably figured out that her plan would have backfired. Still, that wouldn’t stop her from trying again. I can’t leave these two alone. I had trust in Naruto, but I don’t know how much Sakura had changed in the
past three years.

“I think we should stop here for the night.” Naruto stated. I snapped out of my speculation and nodded in agreement. I couldn’t let him knowthat I had suspicions about Sakura. He would just tell me that I was over-thinking things and that I should just lay off. Naruto gave me a brief smile and headed off deeper into the woods, knowing that it was his duty to get fire wood. I, on the other hand, started to unpack sleeping mats and food rations. Sakura just sat by a tree. I preferred her this way. Not in my way. Shortly after I was done setting up our sleeping mats, Naruto came back with plenty of fire wood. He set the wood down and sat across from me. His eyes then blanked out, as if he was off in a different world. He looked tired, his body screamed it. Setting up the wood into a cone like structure, I performed a small fire jutsu, not really wanting to go through 30 minutes of rubbing two sticks together. The wood ignited quickly, allowing me to put more wood on the blazing fire. I felt Sakura get up and move closer to the fire to warm herself up. The night air had chilled quite a bit despite the warm weather of the afternoon. She set herself between me and Naruto, not favouring to sit by any of us. Glancing at Naruto, I see his eyes droop, but then quickly recover with a small start.

“Naruto, why don’t you sleep? I’ll take the night watch.” Looking up at me, Naruto gives me a small smile and walks the short distance to the sleeping mats. He crawls into one and I can soon hear his soft snoring. More than anything, I wanted to join him and lie next to him, but I couldn’t do that while we were on a mission. I had to be a ninja, not his boyfriend. Sighing, I draw my eyes back to the fire, knowing that this was going to be a long night.

“Sasuke, I think we need to talk.” I almost jumped at the sudden sound of her voice in the still of the night. What exactly did she want to talk about? I wasn’t in the mood to hear any more of her apologies about what she had done. That was in the past and nothing was going to change that. I stayed silent. If she wanted to talk I’d let her, but there was no way I was going to participate.

“You should know that I still love him.” Not moving my eyes, I decide to break my vow of silence.

“You can’t take him from me. Neither he or I would allow that.” I heard her sigh.

“I understand that. Naruto made that pretty clear when he was in the hospital.” My body whipped around to her.

“What are you talking about? What happened between you two in the hospital?” How could something have happened? I was there at all times. I never gave anyone a chance of coming near him.

“Nothing. Little to your knowledge, I was his nurse during the nights he was there.” Her arms wrapped around her knees and her head sunk into her arms, her eyes still peering into the fire. “Every night, I saw you two sleeping together. The look on Naruto’s face was pure bliss. He was always smiling while he slept with you. I knew then that I could never make him as happy as you do.” Turning her eyes towards me, they hardened. “If you were to ever hurt him, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill again. No matter what it took, I would make sure that you would pay.” I never thought Sakura could give such a look. I didn’t fear her. There was nothing she could do to me.

“Face it Sakura, the only thing you can do for him is kill. For your entire life, you’ve been putting on an act. Then as soon as I’m gone, you thought that he would go running to you for love? He’s stronger than that. You severely underestimated him in the past and even now. You’ll never be able to love him, even if I was gone.” I stood and headed towards my sleeping dobe to join him. I knew that Sakura wouldn’t leave, she had nowhere else to go.


“You want to know the reason that you can’t love him?” I didn’t give her time to answer me. “Because you’re just like every other villager in Konoha. You can’t see past that damn fox.” I leave Sakura sitting there dumbfounded. I lie myself in the sleeping mat next to Naruto. Tomorrow was going to be one hell of a day.
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Looks like Sasuke and Sakura aren't going to get along. Oh well, even in the anime they never really saw eye to eye. Anway, did I do a good job? The only way to let me know is if you review! I really enjoy reading them. Well, until next time kiddies.