Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Sacrifice ❯ Remembrance ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in this chapter: NONE AT ALL…so people, do not sue me…

Chapter One: Remembrance

Sakura sat idly on her bed, feeling the night breeze whisk through her hair. Even though her face showed no emotion, a million thoughts raced through her mind, most of them about Sasuke. He had finally returned from Orochimaru's lair after killing him, but somehow he seemed less human than he was before. She was worried for him—his safety as well as his state of mind. Ever since Orochimaru bit him on the neck, he'd never been the same. She had always sensed his restlessness even before the incident, but lately, he'd become sullen and withdrawn. Sometimes she caught him training in the woods for hours and hours, never stopping for a break. There was something on his mind, and she was dying to know what. She sighed glumly. Of course, she had a pretty good idea what it was. He'd told her once, during one of their rare conversations, that his brother, Itachi, had killed the entire Uchiha clan before his eyes, but left Sasuke alive. He had confided in her, and it made her feel special. But now, whenever she mentioned Itachi, he glared at her and stalked off, refusing to speak to her for days on end. Knowing him, he was probably training to become strong enough to defeat his brother. Sakura desperately wanted to go along and prove her worth, but she, along with everyone else, knew that she would never become strong enough. Driven by stubbornness and a desire to have a chance at having Sasuke by her side, she too trained every day. After a little more than a year, the Hokage herself had determined her competent as a Healer of the Leaf Village and frequently sent her out on A rank missions.

Sakura closed her eyes and cradled her head in her arms. The past week hadn't gone very well for her. Her rival, Ino, had sought out many chances to pamper and flirt with Sasuke, much to Sakura's disgust. It wasn't that Ino had a chance—it was just that Sakura had been too busy to pay much attention to Ino's clever plans and thwart them. Worse still, Sasuke had been very prone to outbursts of sudden rage and had often come back from the forest where he trained covered with bruises, scratches, and occasionally, deep cuts. Sakura had insisted that she heal them, and much to her delight, Sasuke had agreed. Now that she thought back on it, it seemed that Sasuke had been building up his strength the past month.

A movement in the dark, empty street caught her eye and interrupted her thoughts. Mildly annoyed, she focused her eyes on a moving shadow. She snuck out of her window, not making a single sound as her feet touched the dirt road. She got within two feet of the intruder when a light struck the mystery person's face and shocked her so much that she let out a soft cry. The figure whirled around. It was Sasuke! Yet…somehow it wasn't him. He was wearing all black and he had a large weapon pouch slung over his shoulder. His face looked older and fearless, but his eyes betrayed him. They showed fear and surprise.

“Sasuke! What are you doing?” Sakura cried, shocked, “Did you steal those weapons?”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “Go back, Sakura. This is none of your business.”

“Don't say that! It is my business. You're not supposed to be out this late.” She noticed the determined look on his face. “No! No…you can't be! Now? But…you said…you said you'd tell me when you were about to leave…”

He turned away. “Sakura…Sakura, I have to go. This is my revenge, not yours. There's no point in having you get hurt because of me. I don't want to be responsible for your death.”

Sakura laughed, but there was no humor in her voice, only sadness. “Sasuke…you're so clueless. You've seen me train. You've seen how hard I worked. I've suffered, and I'm a different person now. And you know what? I…” she blushed and stared at his feet, “…I did it all for you. You don't know how I feel, Sasuke. I'd do anything for you. Bring me with you. I know I can help.” Sakura could see Sasuke weakening, so she put one last jab into it. “And besides…I'm a healer. If you ever get hurt, I can heal you. I'm not so useless anymore. Unless…unless you think I am?”

He turned away. “Go away, Sakura. Don't try to follow me. There's no point. It's not like you can actually do much.”

Sakura's temper flared. “I can't do much? I can't do much! You've got to be kidding.” She pointed a finger accusingly at Sasuke. “I've trained since forever! If you won't take me, I'll…I'll…” At a sudden loss for words, Sakura racked her brain desperately for ideas. A sudden thought shook her with its maliciousness. But…could she do it? She steeled her nerves and retrieved a small metal whistle from her pack.

“I'll tell the Hokage. I'm the village healer, remember? I have this whistle…once I blow into it, the entire village will awaken and be ready for battle. I don't want to do this, Sasuke, but you leave me no choice.”

Sasuke turned around slowly, eyes narrowed and vicious…but somehow amused. He spoke softly, almost gently. “You've changed Sakura…this is…a threat. The old Sakura would never have dared.” He turned back around. “This is almost evil. This is cruel. This is blackmail.” Sakura's face burned. Sasuke could get under her skin and cut her heart without any effort at all. She clenched her hand into a fist, feeling the sharp edges of the whistle cut into her hand. “But…”

Sakura looked up hopefully. Sasuke took one step forward. “This type of malevolence could benefit me. Get your pack. We leave in less than a minute.”

Sakura smirked and leapt into her room, grabbing her backpack. She was out in less than a second. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “Most girls take longer.” Sakura smiled at him. “I'm not most girls.” Sasuke nodded his head slightly and turned his back to her. “Is there a way to get out of here without triggering the traps?”

Sakura frowned slightly. “Hmm…oh, yes there is. But we'll have to be extra quiet. It passes by Naruto's house.”

Sasuke snickered humorlessly. “That baka sleeps like a rock. We have nothing to worry about.”

Sakura raised an eyebrow. “He shares a room with Kiba.” Sasuke showed no emotion. “Kiba and his dog.” Sasuke growled something about stupid people and their pets, but shifted his pack slightly so that it would make less noise. He was about to start off, but Sakura held him back with a warning finger.

“Wait.” She took out a small, colorless bottle from her own pack. “Spray it on yourself. Everywhere.”

Sasuke took the bottle from her gingerly and sniffed it, then stared at her. “No odor.” He stated simply, somewhat surprised.

“Yeah, it's supposed to get rid of all odors for up to an hour. There's no way Kiba's dog is finding us now.”

Sasuke turned away from her. “You've worked hard, Sakura. Developing this just for our little trip. I appreciate that...”

Sakura didn't have the heart to tell him that she had originally designed it for her bathroom and that she'd brought it out purely on accident, so she just smiled sheepishly and nodded her head.

Sasuke finished spraying and handed the bottle to Sakura. When she was done, he nodded at her and jumped off. Sakura took one last look behind her and followed him. They were going to have such wonderfully frightening adventures…she knew it.