My Own Worst Enemy

Chapter 8 - Just a Chat

Things gradually improved, both with Sakura’s physical and mental conditions, as well as her relationship with Sasuke. There were days when she relapsed, when she couldn’t bear to be alone with anyone, especially a man, and even Sasuke couldn’t comfort her. But such days became less and less frequent as time moved on.

There were also times when Sasuke withdrew, so used to having to deal with his emotions alone, pretending he didn’t have any when he found himself in the presence of other people. Sakura was able to peel a few layers away, and when they were alone, he let her in far more than he ever thought anyone would get. But still, life was far from perfect.

More than once, Sasuke awoke to the muffled sounds of whimpers, and he hurried across the hall to find his fiancé weeping. She’d protest as he came over to hug her, apologizing for waking him, for being weak. He would merely hold her, rocking their bodies back and forth slowly until her tears stopped and she relaxed into dreams again.

Sometimes, she wouldn’t fall asleep quickly. Then, he’d sit back and hold her hand, and they’d talk. He told her everything, about his childhood, both before and after Itachi’s betrayal, and what he’d really been thinking back when they were first assigned as teammates. He told her about what life had been like with Orochimaru, and she didn’t flinch at the horrors his life had entailed.

He had to admit that he was hard pressed to do the same when she told him what had transpired while she was with Akatsuki. His brother knew what Sakura was to him, and still he’d done the unspeakable. Or perhaps, that was why he had done it. As twisted as his brother’s mind was, Sasuke wouldn’t put it past him.

Ino still came over every morning to help Sakura primp and preen, which Sasuke was glad for. He had never really cared for Ino – she’d always seemed shallow and vapid, in addition to being loud and not highly skilled – but the devotion she showed to her friend clearly removed any doubts he’d had about her personality. She might be a bit too concerned about her looks and popularity, but she’d die before she’d disappoint a friend, and that’s what really mattered. And besides, Sakura needed the confidence booster that only having a girl help with hair and make-up, not to mention constantly complementing her, could offer.

Ino was ecstatic when she heard the news of the impending marriage, and instantly started a very detailed and thorough discussion on wedding gowns, veil lengths, and methods of styling one’s hair to complement each. Sasuke was simply glad that she was well and truly over the crush she’d been harboring for him for the longest time. And if the relieved look on Shikamaru’s face when he was informed was anything to go by, Ino didn’t have to worry about being alone anymore. Though, with as popular as she was, she’d never really had to worry about that, anyway.

Sasuke usually managed, on the nights he stayed in Sakura’s room, to wake up long before Ino arrived. Sometimes he’d go back to his room, but if Sakura was also awake, he’d pull up a stool and stick around, talking softly, until the blonde kicked him out, in the friendliest way possible, of course.

One morning, about two weeks after his proposal, his internal clock was thrown off. They’d stayed up until nearly dawn, and Sakura had finally been ready to talk about some of the specifics relating to his brother. While he really didn’t want to think of his fiancé in the arms of another man – especially not that psychopath – he knew she needed to talk about it if she was going to have a prayer at full recovery, and he also knew that he was the only person she’d feel comfortable talking to. Unfortunately, they’d both fallen asleep around the same time, and were both so exhausted that neither of them noticed Ino entering until she threw a pillow, quickly and amusedly snatched from Sasuke’s room, at them.

Ino hastily dodged behind the door to avoid a handful of kunai flying her way. Where was he hiding those? He’s only wearing pajamas. Never mind, I don’t want to know! Pulling a tissue out of her bag, she held it around the corner, calling out softly, “Truce! I yield! I’m sorry!”

Sasuke glared for a moment more before sliding his second round of kunai back into their sheaths. He saw the fear in Sakura’s eyes and instantly swallowed his wrath, calling her friend back in with a voice as calm as an untouched lake on a clear summer day. “I’m sorry, Ino. I overreacted. I thought you… never mind. Gomen.”

The blonde knew exactly what he meant to say. You thought I was going to hurt Sakura. But she didn’t mind, and she was actually a little glad that the pink-haired girl lying on the bed had someone so fiercely loyal to protect her. “And I’m sorry for throwing a pillow at you. But you’ve got to admit, I was well within my rights. I know you can’t stand to be without her for even a moment, but sneaking into her room in the middle of the night? Honestly! You’re not married yet, Sasuke.”

The blush staining the shinobi’s cheeks was worthy of remembering, and Ino committed the exact shade to memory in the half-a-breath before he ducked his head, whispered something to Sakura, and disappeared, apparently out the door, as she heard the one across the hall slide shut.

“Gomen, Ino,” Sakura’s voice was soft, and more than a little frightened. “He didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Hey, it’s not everyday Uchiha Sasuke apologizes to someone. That’s got to be a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing, even if it does require dodging kunai first thing in the morning,” she was trying to play it off as amusing and, now that her life was no longer in danger, it was.

Sakura smiled slightly in return, coming over to help Ino unpack her hair products. “I still remember the first time he apologized to me,” she murmured, her eyes slightly unfocused as if she were reliving the event for a moment.

“Oh?”

Shaking her head, she continued unpacking, though she did relate the tale. “It was just after the chuunin exams, the first time we went for them. You remember, the night he left? Well, I followed him that night and confronted him. I told him how I felt, and practically begged him not to go, or at least to take me with him.”

“You actually told him?” Ino was incredulous. Oh, sure, she knew Sakura had been head-over-heels for the boy since they were in the academy, but to actually tell the boy… that took guts. “What did he say?”

Sakura smiled, but it was a contradictory expression, one revealing pain rather than joy. “He said, ‘thank you,’ then knocked me out and left me on a park bench. I didn’t see him for two-and-a-half years.”

Ino whistled, long and low. “And the bastard actually expects you to marry him? I gotta say, you are much more understanding than I’d be. I would have taken his head off if a guy ever did that to me.”

Shrugging, Sakura sat to have her hair washed. “I had a lot of time to think about it. And besides, he had his reasons for going. I didn’t agree with them, but it wasn’t my call to make.”

Her friend merely shook her head as she poured a pitcher of water over Sakura’s hair. “There is never a good enough reason to explain breaking a girl’s heart. And where does the apology come in?”

“When he came back, he was even colder than ever. Before he left, I could sometimes get a smile from him, occasionally even a laugh. But after… nothing. He was like stone. I went back to that bench one night and just stared at the stars, wondering what had happened to make him so closed. I blinked, and then he was standing there.”

Her mind drifted back, remembering him looking at her, blank-faced as ever as he took in their surroundings.

He knew exactly why she was sitting on that particular bench in the middle on the night. What he didn’t know was that she had done so every night she’d been in the village during his absence, sometimes falling asleep on the cold concrete slab. Turning away from her burning gaze, the thoughts that kept tumbling through his head behind his emotionless exterior spilled out, almost too quietly to hear. But he knew by the slight gasp she emitted that it hadn’t been quiet enough. He only hoped that she was smart enough to realize why he was keeping his distance.

“He said ‘Gomen,’ then just walked off. The next day, nothing had changed, and for the longest time, I was sure I must have dreamed it.”

“Damn. And you’re marrying this guy? You’ve got to be a masochist, or something. You couldn’t pay me enough to put up with that kind of treatment.”

“Did you know,” Sakura’s tone was calm and conversational; her words were anything but, “Sasuke was only eight years old when Itachi slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan, and he was the one who found them? He nearly went insane that night, and if the mednins hadn’t gotten to him as quickly as they had, Itachi would have been the only survivor. It’s no wonder he has a bit of an obsession with his brother.”

“An obsession which led to his brother attacking you, Sakura. Don’t go forgetting that.”

“Actually, Itachi-sama,” she froze, shook her head, sending droplets and a bit of shampoo bubbles flying, then continued, “sorry, Itachi probably didn’t know who I was, at first. It wasn’t until weeks after he’d taken me that he realized I was something more than a mere kunoichi of Konoha. He was rather amused at the irony, in fact.”

“That’s not the point. Close your eyes,” she ordered, and immediately began rinsing the suds out. “He still attacked you, because any mention of Itachi rubs Sasuke the wrong way, and he wants to keep the pain fresh in Sasuke’s head. He’s insane, but effective. It wouldn’t really have mattered if he’d grabbed a complete stranger. When Sasuke found out who did it, he’d still be furious,” Ino paused for a moment to make sure all the suds were gone before reaching for the conditioner. “The fact that he managed to nab a member of Team 7, and the girl Sasuke loved, at that, was a bonus. It’s like they have to top one another, constantly.”

“What do you mean?” Sakura asked, honestly intrigued to hear Ino’s take on this.

“It’s simple, really,” she continued, after thinking it over for a few minutes while she carefully spread the cream rinse. “Itachi does something horrible, and Sasuke fixes it, as best he can. But the only way for this extreme pissing contest to end is for one or the other of them to refuse to play. And Itachi won’t back off. He’s having fun. So it’ll have to be up to Sasuke to end it. Rinsing,” she warned again.

Sakura closed her eyes and mouth, but her brain kept churning, examining Ino’s take on the situation. When it was finally safe for her to speak again, she did, though taking great care not to startle her friend, who was combing out the tangles from her hair. One jerk of that comb could cause a decent amount of pain.

“The problem is, Itachi,” Ino could hear the slight pause indicating that Sakura had to catch herself before continuing without the honorific, “will just keep escalating until Sasuke has to play along. Sasuke wasn’t getting any news from Konoha for over two years. Itachi did some nasty stuff during that time, but there was no response from Sasuke. Finally, his brother figured out where he’d gone, but as soon as he was back, Itachi attacked, just to make sure his little brother hadn’t forgotten him. Actually, he’s been waiting for Sasuke to get good enough to beat him. That’s why he hasn’t killed him yet, despite having more than ample opportunity.”

“You know,” Ino commented, holding the blow-dryer ready, but not turning it on yet, as the noise would impede the conversation, “it’s kinda scary how you do that.”

“Do what?”

“Get into people’s heads. Figure out why they do what they do, and the reasons behind who they really are. It’s freaky.”

“I’m a mednin,” her reply was short and simple, though the thoughts racing through her skull were anything but. “It’s what I do.”

The sound of air being propelled past heated coils and into Sakura’s hair cut off the dialogue, but both girls had more than ample food for thought.

“So,” Ino inquired several minutes later, having declared herself satisfied with the dryness of Sakura’s hair, “after finding Sasuke in your bed this morning, I have to ask, do I need to go have a chat with the dress-maker, and have your gown made in ivory, instead of white?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re still a virgin, right?”

“Ino!” Sakura was not only shocked by the sheer audacity of the question, but also by the fact that her friend didn’t seem to remember why Sakura had been weeping on her shoulder a fortnight ago. “I am not a virgin, and haven’t been one for some months, if you’ll recall.”

Ino waved her hand dismissively. “Freaks don’t count. Well, non-Konoha freaks, anyway, and none of that crew fall under the Konoha category, by their own choice.”

Sakura shook her head, deciding that she’d never understand her friend’s logic, so she might as well just give it up. “No, Sasuke merely came over to talk, because I was upset and needed to get some things off my chest. Nothing inappropriate happened; he just fell asleep over here, and didn’t wake up until a certain kunoichi threw a pillow at him.”

“I said I was sorry! Yeesh! And besides, it’s not like I was the one who needed to ‘get some things off my chest.’ Though I have to ask, what things? Pajamas? Undershirt? Maybe even a br…”

“Yamanaka Ino, get your mind out of the gutter right now, or I am telling your mother!”

Ino huffed, and continued styling the pink locks in front of her, though Sakura distinctly heard her mutter “life’s no fun, now that everyone’s tattling on me.”

~~~~*~~~~

Sasuke returned a while later to collect his pillow, picking it up off the floor and dusting it off before heading back to his room, but the girls hardly noticed, Ino having engaged Sakura in a lengthy discussion on up-dos versus loose styles, and the advantages with a veil. He shook his head, not understanding girls’ fascination and obsession with their hair.

His own hairdo, which some might call extreme, was chosen by his mother simply because he had an enormous cowlick that refused to lie flat, despite all their efforts. So, the gel-induced spike hid it. He’d just never bothered to change it. What's the point? He was comfortable with this style, it was functional, and he knew what his hair did under all conditions when it was cut and styled like this.

He had been surprised when he’d heard why, exactly, Sakura’s hair had suddenly been a foot shorter during the chuunin exams. At the time, he’d thought she was too vain to ever do something so practical. Shows how well I paid attention. It also amused him when someone had told him why she’d been keeping it long all that time. Some rumors really were stupid. He didn’t really have a preference for long hair or short, though he did think that there was such a thing as too short. Girls shouldn’t have buzz cuts, for example. But all he cared about was if a person was content with how they looked, and whether it was practical or not. And Sakura’s previous haircut, hanging loose halfway down her back, was not. He was frankly surprised that no one had taken advantage of that flaw earlier.

It didn’t bother him that she cut her hair, despite thinking that he preferred it long. Some people had theorized that it was some huge liberating experience for her, but he didn’t really care. He was grateful that she’d done it, as it had been his life at stake, as well as her own and Naruto’s.

He and the dobe had both been unconscious, leaving Sakura, who was, quite frankly, the weakest link of the team, to guard them. She almost hadn’t succeeded. But, in a way, he was glad she’d done it. She finally started trying to be her own person, rather than whatever it was she thought he wanted. She had become strong, both physically and personally, and that was what truly drew him to her.

Upon returning to his room, he noticed that someone had left a scroll for him in the thirty seconds it had taken him to cross the hall twice, but he took the time to finish making up the bed before he opened it. The mission it contained was reasonably simple, but he’d have to leave Konoha for a few days. Normally, he wouldn’t have cared. Now, however, he had another person counting on him, and he wasn’t about to make this decision on his own.

Crossing to his fiancé’s room, he stopped in the doorway for a minute, watching her smile and laugh as Ino twisted, braided, and otherwise shaped the pink locks. Nothing was more beautiful, at least in his mind, than Sakura’s laugh, though the look she bestowed upon him when she noticed his presence definitely gave it some stiff competition. Striding in, he held out the scroll for her perusal.

She stared at the scroll silently, not having to reach for it to know what it was, and why he had come to inform her. Sighing, she locked eyes with him. “How long?”

He held up three fingers, feeling relieved that she was taking this so calmly. She nodded and held out her arms for him. Leaning over, he held her firmly for a minute, then kissed her gently before pulling back, sliding his hands along her arms, which were finally bandage free, though covered in thin, white scars. He memorized them instantly before meeting her eyes and engaging in a silent conversation with those orbs alone.

I’m sorry.

It’s alright. Just come back safe.

I will. I’ll hurry.

I love you.

And I love you.

And with that reassurance, he flicked her forehead and left the room. Sakura slumped back against her pillows for several moments until Ino finally couldn’t take the silence any longer. “What just happened?”

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And there you have it, the second chapter for today. I hope you all enjoyed it. I felt like something a little lighter was in order, hence these past few chapters, but expecially that bit at the end of this one.
Have you ever known a couple who understood eachother so well that thye not only finished eachother's sentences, but don't even need to say anything out loud half the time? Two of my close friends are like that, and I think it both absolutely adorable and completely hilarious everytime they do so. So here's to you, Peter and Janice! This chapter is dedicated to you. Keep it up, because you two give me faith that good marriages do exist. Happy Fifth Anniversary!
Anyway, thank you all for indulging me and reading my work. Let me know if you have any questions, comments or concerns.
Have a great day and good reading!

Crimson Iris