Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Song of the Forgotten ❯ Partners In Destiny ( Chapter 2 )

A/N: Here I go! Man! I'm in a writing mood, I've already updated two stories and posted another! I'm on a roll here! Well, on with the fanfic! Maybe I'll update Mission: Freak Out Kakashi as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Song of the Forgotten

 

By: Melissa Norvell

 

Chapter 2: Partners in Destiny

 

 

 

 

 

It had been a few days since Torishima's passing, and all the kunoichi could so is look at that head band which lay across her hand. She had not been the same after that day, and Iruka had taken it pretty harshly as well. The two hadn't spoken two words to each other since that fateful day.

 

`I really am sorry…' She thought to herself. `I should have listened. If I would've left Torishima and went to Iruka then he wouldn't be hurt…But I couldn't just leave Torishima there…Ugh…I don't know…' Sakura sighed to herself.

 

The girl didn't really want to face her team mate just yet, but she hadn't heard anything from him. He was usually pretty chipper about things, even if he was a bit strict.

 

Throughout the day, that one factor kept gnawing at her inner most working of her mind. She couldn't get that pressing thought away. Whenever she did, her mind seemed to work up its own possible scenarios of what was happening to Iruka at that very moment, and none of them were good.

 

Finally it was just too much to bear, so she decided to go over and see him.

 

 

When she got there, it was an eerie kind of quiet. Knuckles rasped against the door's wooden surface. “Iruka-sensei? Are you home?” She asked.

 

There was nothing but a dead silence.

 

That was cause for concern.

 

She knocked again, louder this time. “Iruka-sensei! Hello!”

 

This time, the door knob turned slowly and a figure was shown standing in the doorway.

 

“Hello Sakura…” He quietly let out, in a depressed and defeated tone.

 

Viridian orbs saddened and she looked down. “Hello…” She replied in a toned down and saddened voice of her own. “Look, I just wanted to tell you that I'm really sorry about what happened…”

 

“Sakura…”

 

The girl blinked. “Yeah…”

 

“It's not you're fault. Look, don't beat yourself up over this.”

 

“Why don't you take your own advice?” She frowned. “You look like you've been kicking yourself ever since we lost Torishima.”

 

“I really don't feel like arguing…” Iruka replied, too depressed to even want to take the argument any further.

 

“Gee, whatever happened to the old Iruka-sensei?” Sakura asked. “You know, the one who always disagreed to whatever everyone else was saying, especially Kakashi-sensei's way of doing things….”

 

“Today's not once of those days.”

 

“Yeah, I know the feeling actually…Hey, want to do something to get our minds off of it, or at least take away a little pain.” She suggested, hoping that it would do her a bit of good.

 

“Maybe later.” He started to shut the door in her face, but she caught it forcing her way in.

 

“You can't just shut me out. Can I at least come in?”

 

A sigh was emitted as he let go of the door, causing Sakura to almost fall through the door, but he caught her.

 

He let a small smile creep onto his features. “Watch yourself there.”

 

She let a small blush adorn her cheeks as she saw that he was hugging her. Despite her blush, a part of her wanted to hug him back and tell him that it was alright. The kunoichi turned inward to face him, snaking her arms around his neck and pulling him close.

 

This surprised Iruka, causing him to blush a little in return. His arms moved away, but then he found himself resting them back in their original place.

 

Sakura tightened her hug from a loose hug to a firm and secure one. She wanted to show him that it was alright and as long as they had each other, nothing would stop them from pulling through it together.

 

“Sakura…”

 

“Its okay, Iruka-sensei. I'll try harder next time and I'll listen to what people tell me. If I hadn't have waited, I could have saved you too, but I didn't and you got hurt because of me. Why am I always the weakest link!? I'm always the expendable one!”

 

Iruka rested his head on her shoulder. “Sakura you're not weak. You're very strong. I should've gotten to you quicker. If I had protected you-“

 

“See…Even you think I'm weak. You just said it yourself.” The girl felt tears well up in her green eyes, turning them into pools of green liquid, spiraling around in a pit of despair.

 

“I didn't mean it like that. Besides, what good am I? They killed Torishima and the man we were trying to protect.”

 

“We?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“The man we were trying to protect.”

 

“I wished I felt that way…” Sakura replied.

 

“Look at us. We're here feeling sorry for ourselves.” Iruka told her, with a voice of false happiness, as if when he put it to the back of his mind, he could let a façade shine through and pretend to be a different person.

 

“Ok, you weren't that happy a minute ago.” Sakura pulled away, giving him a skeptical look. “Are you schizophrenic? “

 

“You said you wanted to lighten the mood.”

 

“Not like that.” She began to wipe a few of her tears away, but another slightly darker hand beat her to the source, gently wiping the salty water from her face.

 

“Huh?” Sakura froze.

 

“Team mates help each other, right?” Iruka said in a bit stronger voice then before, but it still seemed soft. “So I'm helping you.”

 

“Iruka-sensei…”

 

“Yes, Sakura?”

 

“Why?”

 

“Why what?”

 

“Why are you wiping my tears away?” She asked.

 

“I…” He froze, not really knowing the true meaning of his actions. It was more of an impulse or an instinct to comfort then it was for any specific reason. “Don't know…” He finished.

 

She blinked at him.

 

Thinking quickly, he replied. “Can't someone just do something because they want to?”

 

“I guess that makes sense.”

 

There was a pause as Sakura could feel the hand gently wiping the wet streams from her face until her skin was dry. His touch was gentle yet held certain firmness to it. She couldn't describe it. It wasn't feminine, and it wasn't truly masculine either. She liked to think of it as a happy median of the two.

 

She felt an odd comfort from it.

 

Green orbs looked into his darkly colored ones. They swirl around in black pits of hell. They had looked as if they cried old tears of the past, and maybe of not so long ago. She hadn't seen him look so miserable in a long time.

 

It wasn't like Iruka.

 

She didn't like seeing him so depressed. Sakura wanted the old Iruka back. The Iruka who was stern, but kind. He was tough but gentle. She didn't care how she felt, she had made it up in her mind that she would try to make him feel better, at least for the time she was around.

 

Sakura didn't even mind that they looked quite romantic, still hugging, and close to each other, with his hands on her face.

 

She could feel the warmth from his body, but it wasn't his usual aura. He had dull warmth to him, a lukewarm feeling. Something that was barely above cold. She was satisfied with it being just lukewarm. She wanted him to be truly warm, maybe even almost hot.

 

She smiled a little at the man close to her, who had a confused look plastered to his face.

 

“Iruka-sensei?”

 

“Yes, Sakura?”

 

“Thank you.”

 

 

TBC

 

 

 

A/N: Sorry for taking such a long time to update, but I've been busy lately. I had this fanfic on HIATUS but brought it back out. Hope you all enjoy my newest chapter! Please review!