Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Milestones ❯ chapter 1 ( Chapter 2 )

A/N: SORRY for the late update, really I am. I tried, but I just can't seem to get this chapter done for some reason. I wrote tiny parts of this chapter over the time, but they can never piece together. There were at least two variations for everything because I type random stuff at random time… Blegh, and this chapter isn't even that good, I really am pathetic…

 

And lastly, I really appreciated the reviews, without them I would have probably… gotten lazy. Feel free to give suggestions and advices as to how to improve this fic.

 

Milestones

 

By: E. Vanity

 

Chapter One

 

Sakura cursed as she fell for the fifth time that day, stumbling over loose rocks and hands reaching out to prepare for the fall. The jagged stones cut into the skin of her palms and knees. She cursed again, tears threatening to spill, her lower lip quivering. It was not the cuts and bruises on her hands and knees that pained her, but her utter helplessness. She was like a lost child, without someone to guide her she would most likely tumble off a cliff.

 

She had no idea where they were going. According to him, they were very near to the gate now, he had left her with the wounded hunter-nin in the morning to scout the road ahead. She had tried to use that time to figure out who the hunter-nin was, but he had remained silent and unmoving, either due to the pain of his wounds or because he had done something to him.

 

The man of mystery himself had returned after a mere 10 minutes, reporting that he had already been to the gate and back. The time it took shocked her, and she had assumed they were very near indeed to the gate, but they had been walking for a full 20 minutes. Either he had lied to her or he was incredibly fast. Sakura let out another curse as she slipped on her footing again.

 

Silence met her words, but she knew that he was standing in front of her, most likely disgusted by her weakness. He had offered to carry her before, many times, but she had refused them all, she didn't want him to think that she was some helpless flower that needed to be pampered all the time.

 

Gathering her strengths she made move to get up, only to stumble and fall on her face again. She took a moment to appreciate the tiny gatherings of the rocks underneath her chin, top quality, sharp as a knife, they were probably celebrating their achievement to topple the pink-haired giant, not that it required much effort.

 

“You know, it'll be faster if you let me carry you.” His voice was calm, almost a tidbit amused. Sakura ignored him and got to her feet again with a little difficulty.

 

There was a rustle of clothing as he shifted, “And the faster we get to Konohagakure the faster you can get your eyes fixed.” Once again, Sakura ignored him. There was a loud thump as he dropped something on the ground, Sakura, with her suddenly sensitive hearing, caught a muffled grunt and guessed that it was from the wounded hunter-nin.

 

“You can walk on your own while I help the lady.” His voice was soft and gentle, as if he was giving instructions to a five-year old. Sakura tilted her head, she didn't think he was talking to her anymore, and what exactly did he mean by that-

 

She let out an involuntary gasp of surprise as gentle arms snaked under her and brought her up, still face down. “Careful now,” he muttered. Sakura frowned, too surprised to speak, what did he mean?

 

Her question was soon answered as she was tossed gently upward and flipped in the air like a stuffed toy before she landed in his arms again so he was carrying her bridal-styled. Sakura's shocked mind barely registered movements as he started walking forward again.

 

Finally, after a few minutes, Sakura let out a splutter, “Y-you!”

 

“There, there,” He was talking in placating tones, as if speaking to a child. “Now isn't this much easier? We are moving at a faster pace, our wounded friend (the hunter-nin) stopped bleeding, and I think I can see the gate now.”

 

Sakura tried to ignore the closeness between them, blaming the fast beatings of her heart on her little flip in the air earlier, speaking of which, “I told you that I don't need to be carried.”

 

“Yep, that's definitely the gate. Wow, look at that, really formidable looking-” Was he ignoring her? Damn it, she tugged on his shirt to get his attention, trying to ignore the sweet mixture of scents clinging onto him.

 

“Did you hear me? I don't need-”

 

“-But kind of dreary, reminds me of a-”

 

She smelled spice, she smelled grass, she smelled sunshine, she smelled rain, she smelled… What else did she smell? Sakura nestled a bit closer to her carrier, bring her fistful of his shirt closer to her nose, and took a delicate sniff, ramen? She took another sniff, not noticing that he had stopped walking and had paused in the middle of what he was saying.

 

She took another sniff, then leaned back in a satisfied manner, that settles it, the smell was ramen. She nodded to herself, miso ramen, if she was not mistaken. “Did,” She was brought out of her thoughts by his little cough. “Right, did you just, sniff me?”

 

 

 

“Sakura was worried about you.”

 

The room was silent when he opened his eyes. He reached out to turn on the light but his hand found nothing but air, aristocratic features twisted in confusion before smoothing into the mask of disdain he usually wore. His bedchamber was unnaturally dark, not a ray of sunshine escaped past the heavy drapes, and the lamp that used to stand on the bedside table lay in a pile of debris across the room.

 

His mansion was empty, save for him, and the vengeful spirits that haunt the night. A heavy veil of melancholy and sorrow hung over the Uchiba estate, and no one dared to part it, no one wanted to part it. The village had chosen, subconsciously, to keep their illusion of the dark avenger, a genius and an angel, in a way, they had molded him into what he is today.

 

“You should've seen the looks on their faces, everybody's happy that you are back.”

 

He spared the calendar a glance before leaving his bedchamber. About a month now, Sakura had been missing for a month. He pulled back the curtains of his kitchen to be greeted with blinding rays of sunlight. With a grunt he pulled the drapes closed again, he had overslept.

 

“So? I don't care about them.”

 

He poured himself a glass of water, staring into space with bland disinterest. His mind wandered to the green-eyed kunoichi again, he would not be surprised if she was caught or something. If she had used half of the time she spent following him on training she would have probably saved herself a ton of humiliation and defeat.

 

“But you know what you did was wrong, right?”

 

The glass fell from his hand as a sudden chakra signature flared in the distance, the glass shattered on the ground and sent heart-chilling echoes through out the entire house. He was working hard to locate the chakra signature, it was so telling, so obvious who it was.

 

“Yes, it was probably wrong.”

 

So he was alive? Sasuke wasn't sure, the telling chakra was once again hidden, but it was useless, the flare was so strong, so pulling, and he knew exactly where it had came from. Sasuke made a mental note to buy some new glassware after this was over as he made his way to the door, his chakra racing through his limbs with anticipation.

 

“But I'm not sorry.”

 

 

A/N: It's short, I know, SORRY!!!! I'll try to do a longer chapter next chapter.