Dark Truths Undiscovered

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters. Nor do I own the songs used within.

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Sasuke woke the day before they reached the northern port city. It was under Sakura’s watch. She was humming softly to herself, stroking her fingers through dark hair, when a pale hand caught her wrist in a viselike grip.

She yelped softly, surprised and stared down into coal black eyes.

Sasuke woke to the sensation of being petted. No one had stroked his hair in such a way for a very long time. He was instantly tense, his hand snapping out to capture a small wrist. He opened his eyes, to see a flash of pink and then jade green eyes filled with worry and slight elation locked with his.

“Sakura.” he said, and her name was like dark honey on his lips. His grip didn’t loosen as he stared at her. The last thing he recalled was setting her against the tree and facing Itachi. He tried to move the rest of his body only to find that he was bound. That small freedom of a single hand all he had been given.

“Sasuke-kun?” she whispered softly, watching his eyes narrow slightly as he tugged against his bonds, “Are you feeling ok? Does it hurt anywhere?” she asked.

Dark eyes snapped back to hers and a voice slightly roughened from days of silence stretched between them.

“Why am I tied down? How long have I been here?” he demanded, his voice so different from those younger years. Much like Itachi’s she thought, only a tad deeper, a bit darker. She tugged to get her hand free, but he refused to release her, “Tell me.”

She sighed, and when she spoke her voice was soft and filled with patience, “Let go Sasuke-kun” she told him, “Let go and I will tell you everything.”

Her eyes were calm and commanding, as she had learned from Tsunade, but the Uchiha was not inclined to obey.

To her great surprise, he tugged her towards him so that she was closer to his face. Pink hair feathered over his cheeks and he kept his eyes on hers as he pressed his nose into the confection of shining strands.

Inhaling deeply, Sasuke assured himself that this was indeed Sakura. Not the tormenting visions of the Mangekyo. Sakura pressed her hand to his muscled chest and pulled away despite his small sound of warning.

“Does it hurt anywhere?” she asked again. He watched her through dark eyes, his mind leaping over countless possibilities.

“Sasuke!” she snapped.

He glared at her, “No” he bit back, “I feel no pain, why, Sakura, am I tied down? Don’t make me ask again.”

It was a tone he had used countless times over the years, the one that sent Sound shinobi scurrying from his sight. Of course, Sakura was not to be cowed. She folded her arms over her now ample chest and matched him glare for glare.

“We didn’t want you fighting us” she said honestly, “And you would have wouldn’t you? Even after all this time, you would have fought us.”

He grunted, “I dislike being a prisoner” he growled, “Where is Itachi?”.

His eyes flashed red for a moment and Sakura shrugged, “Probably up on deck with Naruto.” she replied, moving to the bedside table, and soaking a cloth in cool water softly scented with lavender.

“Why are you with him?” he asked her, his face devoid of emotion but the edge of anger tinged his words.

She moved to sit beside him, ignoring his attempts to stay out of reach as she gently bathed his cheeks and neck with the refreshing liquid.

“For you.” she said simply, setting the cloth down in the shallow bowl. She poured a small glass of water and lifted it to his lips, “Drink. You need it.”

Sasuke wanted to protest but his mouth felt like wads of cotton had been shoved inside, so he kept his eyes on hers as he drank the cool water.

She set the glass down, “You probably want to…erm… you know. Bathe, take care of… things. I’ll go get Naruto.”

She was gone before Sasuke could stop her. He stared at the wooden walls. When the door opened and Naruto burst in, he arched a dark brow. “

Hey teme!” The blonde said in a happy tone, “Glad you’re awake.”

Sasuke closed his eyes and fought the urge to groan, “You never change dobe.”

Naruto chuckled, “Not so Uchiha” he corrected, “I’ve changed quite a lot, from the looks of it you have too. I’m going to loosen the chakra ropes enough to let you move around a little bit. I’m sure you want to wash five days of sweat off yourself.”

Sasuke felt the ropes loosen, but only just, he could sit up fully, swing his legs over the bed and stand up. He could do nothing more than that. Go nowhere. He glared at the blue eyed man, “What the hell dobe? Let me go.”

Naruto shook his head, “No. Can’t do that. There are something we need to talk about, things that you need to hear. I can’t let you go until I am certain that you are not a threat to the people I am protecting.”

Sasuke grunted, “You mean yourself.”

Naruto arched a golden brow, “Hate to tell you teme” he replied casually, “You aren’t a challenge to me, not really. No, don’t look so pissed off. Just take care of things and call for me, I’ll be right outside. There are some clothes in the corner. I’m a little bit bulkier than you, but they should do while we wash whatever the hell you call what your wearing. nice ass bow by the way. Orochimaru's idea right? Homo...”

Sasuke growled, his eyes like two hot coals, “I can kill you Naruto” he said menacingly, “Keep pissing me off and I’ll make it sooner rather than later.”

Naruto said nothing, merely stepped outside with a foxlike grin in place.

Sasuke hurried to clean himself up, and after taking what had to be longest piss of his life, he pulled the new clothing on with some measure of difficulty. He tugged at the ropes, infused his own chakra into them, but this was Kyuubi’s energy. He grunted, Naruto wasn’t a fool after all.


After several minutes Naruto returned to see to the bindings once again. “I hate having you tied up like this” he admitted. Blue eyes clashed with black, “But I can’t let you run free either. Not yet anyway. Sakura will be in soon, she’ll have some food for you I know you must be starving. She hooked you up to an IV while you were out so that you had some nutrients going to you. But still…”

He shrugged as he left the cabin once more. Sasuke strained to hear movement, tried to find a hole in his so called prison. He was not about to tolerate being trussed up like some holiday bird and delivered oh so neatly back to Konoha.

Is that true a long silent part of himself asked. You don’t want to go home? He shook his head, “It’s not home. Nowhere is home.” But the little voice chipped away at the ice he’d piled around himself. Home has always been with them. The ones that mean the most, isn’t that why you ran away? Because if you stayed any longer you wouldn’t be able to leave at all?

He punched the small side table, feeling it splinter beneath his knuckles. He squeezed his eyes shut willing that part of himself to sink into the shadows and leave him be. He would never be so weak again. Never. His mind drifted over what Naruto had said. Itachi was onboard this ship, and he was obviously free to move about. It irked him.

Irked him to know that Itachi could have come to see him, to kill him at any time and he hadn’t. Meaning he didn’t see Sasuke as a true threat…still.

That was just complete bullshit! He’d been giving as good as he was getting, and he knew he’d wounded his brother. Not a minor scratch either. He could beat him and he would. He had to.

~

Sakura entered slowly, balancing a tray on her hip and a large pitcher of fresh water in her other hand. She glanced to the table, now nothing more than kindling on the floor. She lifted her green eyes to Sasuke, silently asking after it. He said nothing, merely turned to stare out the single window.

Her eyes trailed to the marred flesh covering his knuckles and she sighed.

Sakura stalked closer, settling the tray beside him on the bed, the pitcher on the floor. She stood just in front of him, waiting for him to look at her.

After several long minutes he did, and she slapped him hard across the face. He glared up at her, seeing her composure crack. Her body tremble. As though the weight of those many years had suddenly become too great for her to bear.

Her chest was heaving, moisture glimmered in her eyes. “Do you have any idea what is was like?” she demanded of him, her voice an angry shiver. “How it was when you left? What we felt, what we went through to get you back? How we worried?!”

Sasuke stared at her. Was Sakura lecturing him? Because to him it sounded very much like she was and his cheek was still stinging from the blow she’d delivered.

‘I never asked you to’ he snapped mentally, ‘You should have given up on me. I didn’t want you two morons chasing me all over god’s green earth.’

He didn’t trust his voice yet, Sakura was beautiful before him. What struck him though was the sincerity in her eyes, her tone. He had missed them, terribly, though he didn’t want to admit that and likely never would. They had become his friends, his support, his family and then, he’d walked away from them. He’d thanked her all those years ago, on a night when the wind barely blew.

He wondered if she knew what it was he was thanking her for. He wondered if the two of them were ever aware of his little spying sojourns. Yes, from time to time, he would hear of their missions and he would go. Just to glimpse, from a distance. To remind himself why he could not return.

Because with them, he could heal, he could grow, he could perhaps even forgive.

And he didn’t want to.

The bond between team seven had never been normal per say. There was always an underlying closeness, he loved them. Both of them equally. And he knew without a doubt that they loved him, wanted his happiness and if he had remained with them, he might have let himself fall into that happy fantasy of laughter and hugs and missions under the wide white moon.

He looked up at her, and said the one things that came to mind. “Sakura, even after all this time… you… are still….annoying.” His tone lacked malice however and when the tears welled up and spilled over her lashes and down pink cheeks, he smirked.

Sakura wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. He had only one free arm, but slowly, ever so slowly he curled it around her. She mumbled incoherent phrases into his dark hair, babbling that he’d been missed, and they hadn’t ever given up, not for a moment.

Sasuke was content to let her hold him for the time being, he closed his eyes momentarily reveling in the soft, familiar scent of her.

Then he began to plot.

His plans had not changed, he was not going back to Konoha. And now neither was she. When the boat reached port, he would make his escape and she would be going with him. If he had to kill Naruto in the process, he would.

She drew back, drying her eyes and smiling a wobbly smile, "Sorry” she muttered, “It’s just been so long and well…”


Sasuke noticed the glimmer on her finger and reached out with his free hand to lift it closer to his eyes. “What is this?” he asked.

She sighed and smiled, “I am to be Naruto’s wife.”

He scowled, stiffening. “Quite cozy aren’t you?” he asked. He should have been happy, thrilled that she had found some happiness in her life. But instead he felt a pang of something very close to jealousy. He had indeed missed so much. He should have been there in those happy moments, he should have been the first to know. And he would have he reminded himself had he stayed, which brought him back to his original train of thought. A vicious cycle it was indeed.

She shook her head at him, trying to step back but he held her fast, his grip on her wrist unbreakable. “How can you ask me that? “ she wanted to know, “After what you did?”

He grunted and let her go, eyeing her coolly, “And Itachi?” he asked, “What are you doing with him?”

She brushed her hair over her shoulder, “I thought I was saving you.” she snapped.

He glowered at her, “Lying doesn’t become you Sakura. Itachi would never try to save me, and Naruto would not allow you to go to Itachi on your own. Are you a missing nin?”

She shook her head, waved her hand, “Hard headed as always Sasuke” she growled out, “Itachi did steal me from the forest in Konoha. But that was to save you… from the thing that took you, from the thing that you have let yourself become.”

He arched his eyebrow, “And what is that?”

She pushed the tray closer to him, “A sick person. The seal is a disease Sasuke. Nothing more or less than that.”

He snorted, “Funny, I have never felt better in my life.” he retorted.

She shook her head slowly, “Yes you have. When we reach the port I am going to do a complete exam on you, and see how far the damage has gotten. Then Sasuke, we are going to remove that seal. Just like you wanted to do yourself.”

She strode from the room without a backward glance, leaving him to ponder her words, her presence and his reaction to both.