Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Falls Apart ❯ The Promise You Made ( Chapter 3 )

Falls Apart

 

-----------------------

 

Disclaimer: Me no own Naruto nor Shinedown. Got it? Good.

 

-----------------------

 

Just Breathe

By Anna Nalick

 

2 AM and she calls me 'cause I'm still awake,
Can you help me unravel my latest mistake,
I don't love him, winter just wasn't my season
Yeah we walk through the doors, so accusing their eyes
Like they have any right at all to criticize,
Hypocrites, you're all here for the very same reason

'Cause you can't jump the track,we're like cars on a cable
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button girl,
So cradle your head in your hands
And breathe, just breathe,
Woah breathe, just breathe

May he turn 21 on the base at Fort Bliss
Just a day, he sat down to the flask in his fist,
Ain't been sober, since maybe October of last year.
Here in town you can tell he's been down for a while,
But my God it's so beautiful when the boy smiles,
Wanna hold him, maybe I'll just sing about it.

Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table.
No one can find the rewind button boys,
So cradle your head in your hands,
And breathe, just breathe,
Woah breathe, just breathe

There's a light at each end of this tunnel, you shout
'Cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out
These mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again
If you only try turning around.

2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a song
If I get it all down on paper, its no longer
Inside of me, threatening the life it belongs to
And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd
Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud
And I know that you'll use them, however you want to

Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button now
Sing it if you understand.
And breathe, just breathe
Woah breathe, just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe.

 

------------------------------

 

Chapter 3: The Promise You Made

 

------------------------------

 

Sakura mumbled as light struck the outside of her eyes, casting a red glare onto her retina. Determined to maintain her first sleep in years, she rolled over and threw an arm over her eyes. She then heard a light, deep masculine chuckle from next her where she now faced. Pouting, Sakura refused to open her eyes and wake up.

 

“You can't make me…” she grumbled quietly, going to pull sheets over her head. She then came to the realization that someone was holding her hand, prohibiting her current search for a dark, warm cave. Confusion muddled her senses and she cracked an eye open to see who dared interrupt her precious sleep. A masculine outline was first apparent against an atrociously bright white background.

 

Squinting to block out the intense whiteness, the outline began to fill in with features, soon revealing a smirking Shikamaru. Her eyes now popped all the way open as she glanced down to where their hands were clasped together, the events leading up to this moment finally flooding her mind. Immediately she froze as fear rose up. How long had she been here? Had Sasuke returned to find her gone? And if so, what was he planning? Did he know who had taken her? Her teal eyes whipped up to now concerned brown ones.

 

“Sakura, what's wrong?” Shikamaru brought up his other hand and clasped her much smaller between them. Sea foam green eyes regarded him with fear.

 

“How long Shikamaru? How long have we been here?” He knew why she was asking this. And he wasn't going to let her bolt through the front door of the hospital, only to end up in worse condition at the hands of Sasuke.

 

“It's only been about four hours. Tsunade healed you as quickly as she could, but you've been passed out.” Besides, if he allowed Sakura to run away to Sasuke again, he didn't know who would invent the worst possible death for him to suffer: Kakashi, Naruto, or Tsunade-sama. Shikamaru leaned toward Naruto being the most inventive, but Tsunade knew how to apply pain due to medical training.

 

Sakura relaxed her terror a little with this information. She was healed and still had plenty of time to run back before Sasuke returned home. She had to act like nothing was wrong. She had to protect Shikamaru from Sasuke's rage.

 

Shikamaru…

 

That name now wrought confusion in her mind. He had flipped her world upside down in just a few days. Yet for some reason, she had known it was only a matter of time before he did. He suspected from the minute Sasuke had returned to Konoha that something would go wrong. Sakura was surprised that he had taken the initiative and stepped up to help her personally though. Even if she knew that he knew about the abusive relationship, she had always thought that he would tell someone else and leave it as their problem. But here he was, sitting next to her in the hospital, holding her hand to comfort her.

 

Glancing down at their clasped hands again, Sakura tried to process why he was going through such effort for her. With Shikamaru it had always been, “troublesome this” and “troublesome that.” She watched and felt as Shikamaru gently squeezed her hand in reassurance.

 

“Why Shikamaru?”

 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shikamaru's brows rise in surprise and confusion. “Why what Sakura?”

 

She looked up at Shikamaru's face, drinking in his features and his expression in an attempt to understand what motivated Shikamaru. “Why me? Why help me? Why, when you could have dumped it on someone else, did you make the effort to come after me? You could be less bothered now, living lazily as you are wont to do.”

 

Shikamaru flushed a bit in embarrassment and annoyance. How dare she call him out like that! Lazy…che! But he then settled down, his brows drawn together in concentration. Why did he? He knew very well it was Tsunade lording over him that made him take the mission. But what drove him to throw himself fully to the task? With fervor he felt could rival Naruto's? Was it the same as when he went out to retrieve Sasuke that first time? To help a comrade? No…it wasn't that. Then what could it be?

 

He blinked as a sudden thought broadsided him, his face skipping pink and lunging straight to red. Could he…could he possibly care for Sakura beyond friendship? After watching her all these years, he grudgingly admitted respect for the kunoichi for all that she suffered. But was it more than respect? Every time he saw her with new signs of abuse, did he grow jealous along with angry?

 

Sakura bit back a snicker as Shikamaru turned a brilliant shade of scarlet. His blush could even be seen through the fishnetting over his chest. But she pondered…what was he blushing about, or was he flushed with anger? Had she offended him? Her amusement promptly disappeared and she grew frantic. If she had made him angry, would he abandon her back to Sasuke? After he had promised to protect her.

 

Immediately Sakura began apologizing. “I-I'm sorry Shikamaru. I must have said something wrong. Please, don't be mad.” Tears slowly crept back into her eyes and she cursed herself a thousand times over for her blatant show of weakness. Ninjas didn't cry. It was one of the laws of being a shinobi. And here she was, giving further proof that she was as weak as they came. Sasuke was right to spit on her and regard her as one regards a pathetic being.

 

Her eyes closed, not wanting to see the pitying look that Shikamaru was surely giving her. She was honestly surprised when she felt his hands release her one and was immediately embraced.

 

They sat like that for a few seconds as Shikamaru fumbled for something to say. The pain that had been in her voice, the way she seemed to shut down. He couldn't let her go numb again. She was beginning to return, even if it was just a ghost of her previous self. But it was really her, not an act. Sakura's face was now flushed due to the awkward hug. Her hands now hovered hesitantly over Shikamaru's back, unsure of how to react.

 

Shikamaru finally grasped upon something to say. “No. No, don't be sorry…” he whispered, “There's nothing for you to be sorry about. I'm not mad.”

 

Sakura finally placed her hands on his back, her fingers sinking into his jounin jacket. She pulled him tight and buried her face into his chest. Shikamaru felt her hot tears, and sat down on the side of Sakura's bed, making it easier to hold her closer and comfort her. He didn't blame her for her tears. She had every right to cry. He suspected she hadn't cried in years.

 

Unconsciously, he pulled her closer, possessiveness sweeping fiercely through him. He rested his head on top of hers, once again vowing not to let harm befall her but also admitting to a feeling that was welling up within him. He cared for Sakura, as someone more than a friend. He wanted her to be happy, no matter the cost.

 

He heard sobs and felt Sakura shaking against him. He felt her fingers clinging to his jounin vest like he was the only solid thing in her storm tossed world. And he was at the moment. He bit his lip as he felt tears rise up in his own eyes. To think what she had gone through all this time. Just enduring abuse after abuse, and have the strength to not cry out, to be strong in the hopes of saving her friends from a worse fate. To not die from the continuous pain and rise to become the most powerful ninja in Konoha…

 

“It's okay Sakura. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. It's okay…it's okay…” he shushed, rubbing his hand up and down her back soothingly. He wasn't sure who he was convincing, himself or Sakura, but he was surprised when his voice came out steady when he felt otherwise.

 

He'd been thrown mercilessly into Sakura's tempest tossed world, but there was no other place he'd rather be. If she was going to drown, he'd go down with just so that she'd know she wasn't alone.

 

He slowly felt her calming down and her body relaxing. But her grip on him didn't lessen. He felt her breath coming out on his chest in even puffs, enlightening him to the fact that she had fallen asleep again. Instead of shrugging out of her grip, he laid down next to her, justifying his actions with the thought of reassuring Sakura that she was not alone even in slumber.

 

He soon felt himself drifting away, but as with Sakura, his hold didn't slacken. `I'll never let her go,' he thought as he drifted to sleep, `Never.'

 

Tsunade smiled sadly as she watched from the sliver in the door. He shouldn't have fallen so quickly; Sakura could be used against him now and vice versa. But she understood. And she was happy to know that if even everything went wrong, they had found peace if only for a little while.

 

Tsunade closed the door the rest of the way to afford them privacy. Both needed rest for the hell that would awaken tonight. She only hoped that Sakura would rise up against her fears and awaken the true power housed within her. If Sakura could beat out Kakashi while in pain and without any passion, imagine the fearsome strength that would be unleashed in a righteous anger. Sasuke wouldn't know what hit him.

 

A/N: Neh, I guess I had better start thanking everyone for their reviews. I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out and that it's short, but I only have so much time in my schedule.

 

Thanks to the following reviewers:

Shinobi Darkbeak

Kerrie-chan- Thanks, I didn't realize that it would be difficult to differentiate as to who was speaking, but then I again, I knew as I was typing. Hope this chapter was a bit better.

merisa

AznNarutoGrl-91- I'm definitely not the first to make a ShikaSaku story. I read one fanfiction on them and fell in love with the pairing. I forgot which story it was though…

Raefire606

The Squabbit- Your enthusiasm is appreciated. I don't typically think much of how good or bad my writing is. There are TONS of better writers out there.

the.promise.kept

Dustbunny3- -nods- But I love blocking…it keeps my thoughts organized. I dunno…I tried to break them up a bit with this chapter. Any better?

Demonchild93

Dances With The Wind

Ankhazu

TobiasX

Yokaigurl- -laughs- But killing Itachi is how Sasuke was allowed back into Konoha. They let him back even though he had become a missing nin because he had slayed Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. So that leaves the main couple to do the job…maybe… -grins maliciously-