SasuSaku Festival 2017 . Days 5/ 6/ 15- Saving her Man/ Civilian + Shinobi Love/ The Biggest Gesture . Title: Hidden Loners . Summary: AU- Sasuke is badly hurt and Naruto takes him to a cottage in the middle of the woods so he can get help. A secret lives there, and even without chakra, she won’t just watch him die in front of her eyes. . A/N: At LAST! It took me two weeks to finish and fix this, but now it's finally here! I got so so excited about this idea and now I can't wait to know what you think! I've decided to mix some themes together or I won't finish on time for the SS month. I still want to update my other long stories before July, and because I know myself, I gotta find a way to finish faster! I hope you all enjoy it, and please, leave me some feedback! . . . She was definitely not expecting visitors at such an early hour of the dawn.
The rain was pouring heavily on that night, soaking every hidden leaf that tried to protect itself. The wind was howling like a hungry monster, slipping through the cracks of her old, wooden windows. It was a cold, lifeless night, and yet, the knocks on her door were almost breaking it in half.
“ Sakura-chan! Hurry up! It’s an emergency!”
A desperate voice echoed through the entire forest, mixing with dry bumps, scaring owls and whatever living creature that could hear the blond ninja. His golden locks were darker now, water dripping from them as his entire ninja attire was equally drenched. His skin was cold, his knuckles were already stinging from knocking so hard and he could feel that sticky liquid sliding down his belly. A warm sensation enveloped his torso, and the distinct smell of iron was taking over his nostrils.
Blood was staining his clothes, he could feel it.
But that blood didn’t belong to him.
“ Sakura-chan!”
“ I’m coming!” A rough voice came from inside, creating a gap in between his lips. His eyes widened, and for a fraction of seconds, the blond could feel a certain relief taking over his senses. She was mad, for sure, but at least she was there. And if anyone could help him at that moment, it was that girl. “ God damn it, Naruto! Do you even know what time it i-“
Her words were cut out from her throat as soon as she opened her front door. The sound of the rain got louder, a cold breeze hit her body and her emerald eyes widened as she witnessed the horrific scene in front of her.
Naruto was there, as announced by all the screaming and knocking, but he was not alone, destroying the scenario she had expected. Soaked wet, with hair darker than he night itself, a boy partially conscious was leaning on the blond’s body. He was tall and his head was lowered, but even if she could not identify him, Haruno Sakura could clearly see that he was hurt. And for a medic such as her, that was the only thing that mattered at that moment.
“ Shit. Bring him in.”
Without thinking twice, she took a step aside, allowing both of them to make their way in. Naruto, due to the extra weight he was carrying, stumbled around, almost tripping on his feet as he followed her to what he concluded to be her kitchen. There was a large table there, which was previously set for one and which was quickly cleared in order to create some space. Plates and cutlery flew straight to the wooden floor, being immediately forgotten by everyone in that room as the attention was entirely set on the one wincing in pain.
The lights were now allowing her to inspect the hurt boy with her clinical eyes, as her friend quickly and carefully placed him over the table. The raven haired boy was contorting in pain, as his teeth were clenched and his clothes were torn in several places. They were stained in blood, and even before she could take a better look at his features, her emerald eyes spotted the red and white fan decoration his back.
So he was an Uchiha, she thought.
“ What happened here, Naruto?”
“ I don’t know. I found him like that in the middle of the road and I knew he wouldn’t make it to Konoha’s hospital. I had to bring him here, Sakura-chan… I can’t let him die. He’s my best friend.”
“…” Her emeralds locked with his blue orbs, and even if her friend didn’t say it out loud, she could tell more from his glance than from the rest. Naruto was worried sick, and if she were to place a hand over his chest, the rosette was sure she would feel his heart trying to break his ribcage. His eyes were desperate, holding back tears and silently screaming for help.
His best friend was dying right in front of his eyes, and if she didn’t do something fast, those blue eyes of his would lose their shine forever.
And she could not let that happen.
“ Okay. Tell me everything you know. Get your shit together and spill it out!”
“ H-Hai… There was this letter that was delivered to my house, and it told me to go to the road that leads to the Fire Country’s frontier. When I got there, I felt this weird chakra, and before I saw it, his body was just there-ttebayo!”
“ Anything else?”
“ No- I mean… I don’t remember!” He ran his fingers through his dump hair, walking around but not leaving that small space his despair had trapped him into. Naruto was clearly losing it, and at that very moment, she just could not waste time on that.
“ Get out of here, Naruto!”
“ W-What…? Don’t you need help?”
“Not from you. Now go!"
“ But Sakura-“
“ GO!”
Her scream made him snap, and she could see his Adam's apple going up and down in what seemed to be a dry swallow. He was scared. A lot more than anyone in that room, and she knew exactly how he felt at that time. Powerless. Weak. Useless. He didn’t know what to do to help and he didn’t really know if there was anything he could actually do at that moment to make sure his friend got to see another day.
It was all in her hands. The hands of a girl who gave up her entire village and decided to seclude herself in the woods.
And more than anything, as he walked out of the kitchen, he believed those hands. He had to.
“ Okay…” She let out a deep sigh. “ Now it’s just you and me… Sasuke.”
Her emeralds were now burning in determination, as her instincts started to kick in. As her first emergency move, her fingers went to the raven haired boy’s neck, touching his carotid and looking for his pulse. His muscles were stiffening, making it harder for her to feel anything, but it was clear that his heart was beating slower with every second. The rise and fall of his chest were also getting visibly compromised, as he seemed to be struggling harder and harder to move his diaphragm.
He needed air, she thought. He needed space. He needed her.
With one strong pull, the medic ripped off his clothes, discarding them and exposing his bare chest. Scars marked his skin, proving that his path had been anything but easy, as they mixed with the new wounds that were currently threatening his life. There was blood spread around his belly, and it was coming from a particular spot on his right side, just below his liver. It was a big wound, not deep enough to compromise any vital function, yet, she knew it would be the cause of his death if she didn’t do anything. Especially after she smelled that tricky scent.
It was poison.
His wound, as she could smell, was drunk in poison and by how fast his muscles were stiffing, she could tell the effects of whatever had entered his veins were not going to dissipate if she simply stood there, waiting. Sakura would have to administrate an antidote, and soon, if she wanted to reverse the effects of the poison, and luckily, for him, the pinkette had spent a considerable amount of time training under the tutoring of one of the best.
Those slugs were really coming in hand, she thought.
“ Look, you’ve been poisoned and I can reverse this. I just need to know who attacked you.”
“ W-Wha..?” He listened to her question almost as clearly as he had listened to her whole talk to his best friend a couple of moments before. Her voice- the voice of a faceless woman who knew his name- was distracting him from the entire pain that had taken over his body, and for a reason he did not know, he wanted to answer her questions. Even if he didn’t know who she was and even if he didn’t know if she was going to help him or not, Sasuke wanted to answer and just keep listening to her voice for a little longer.
He wanted to put a face to that voice. And apparently, he would need to tell her what she wanted to know in order to make through the rest of that night alive.
“ Who ambushed you, Sasuke? I need to know so I can use the right potion.”
“ F-Fuck… I-“
“ Just say it…”
“I-Iwa.”
“ Iwa?!”
“ Aah.”
“ Good. Okay.”
At the same moment she heard his voice, Sakura knew exactly what to do next. She ran to her cabinet and opened it with one, strong pull. Her medications were all separated according to the place where the poisons were produced, and her eyes flew around the labels until she found the one she was looking for.
Iwa. The land of Stone, where the poisons were produced with a special, dehydrated plant- Medusa, as she and her master had named it- she spent months trying to figure out the composition of. She tried, and eventually, managed to find a solution for all the poisons developed by the Iwa country, mostly because that plant was the key for everything.
Sakura grabbed the small bottle, rushing back to his side, holding the needle she would need to gain access to his vein. She stretched his arm, and it was quite easy to find the blue line traveling underneath his skin.
His vein was quite visible.
But the poison had already worked its effects on his arm.
“ Shit.”
She cursed, feeling his muscles so rigid under her touch, not being able to pierce the skin above it. Apparently, the poison was slowly turning his limbs into stone, and the consequences of such thing wouldn’t be that hard to imagine. It started from the outside, slowly swallowing the insides until the person died.
Well done, Iwa, she thought, with a smug smirk on her face. The medic recognized a well done job when she saw one, but she also knew better that just that wouldn’t be enough to stop her form saving that boy. If the intravenous wasn’t available, she would just need to find another way in for the antidote.
“ I hope you don’t remember this.”
Not wasting any more time, Sakura opened the bottle with her teeth and filled her mouth with the liquid inside. Quickly, she lifted his head a bit and she leaned down, opening his mouth and covering his lips with her owns. It was a warm sensation that took away his pain for a while, and even if he could barely notice the antidote in his mouth, the Uchiha could clearly feel as her tongue softly brushed against his. She lifted it up, making contact with his palate and forcing a swallowing reflex. The content went down, and before he could savor the only pleasurable moment of dying, it all ended as a cold feeling traveled down his guts.
A calming sensation slowly started to envelop his senses, as his muscles were now succumbing to an unstoppable tingling. The pressure was gone and the pain was not unbearable anymore. He felt as if his entire body was anesthetized, and the only thing he could clearly feel was the warmth her mouth left on his lips. It was the one thing keeping him sane and the one thing that captured his attention while his entire system seemed to be fighting an invisible war.
He was fighting against that poison. And luckily, he was not alone.
“ You’ll survive.”
She whispered against the shell of his ear, and for the first time since he got there, Sasuke tried to open his eyes. His eyelids were heavier than rocks, and the light coming from above blinded him as he tried to see what was surrounding him.
He was trying to see her.
But after seeing an unrecognizable, pink blur his brain simply shut down, leaving nothing but darkness to keep him company.
He woke up to the smell of coffee and a throbbing sensation spread all over his body. There was a strange taste lingering over his tongue and at that moment, he felt an immense weight pulling him down. His ears captured the rain pouring outside- outside of wherever he could be- and for a reason he did not know, he could not fully open his eyes.
What on earth was going on?
His perception, even if messed up, showed no chakra traces around him, and for the moment, that gave him a momentary sense of safety. His senses were lighting up, as the sensibility was slowly returning to his limbs, causing him to feel more pain in an agonizing sensation of impotence. The Uchiha was simply there, unsure of where ‘there' actually was and completely unaware of the current state of his body.
Sasuke felt like drifting in a shallow sea filled with hedgehogs, and that strong scent of coffee was the only connection he had with the safe shore.
That scent was relaxing, soothing and even sweet, no matter how bitter that black beverage probably tasted like.
That coffee was his call home.
“ So you’re finally awake.”
And that voice… It sounded like his safe harbor.
Though he tried to emit any sort of word, his lips refused to allow any possible sound out. There was a shy light coming through his eyelids, and once he was finally able to beat that strength blinding him, Sasuke was able to see through the darkness of his weakness.
And that pink blur felt a lot safer than oblivion.
“ Take it easy…” She placed a hand over his chest, sending shivers down his spine. Maybe it was the pain, or maybe it was just the fact that he was feeling something different for the first time since he was attacked, but that touch felt warm and healing, and if he could, he would ask her to place her hands all over his sore muscles. “ It will take a couple of minutes until the muscle relaxant shows its effects. Now that your veins aren’t so stiff anymore, it’s easier for the medication to work.”
Her voice was low and peaceful, and as his irises adjusted to the yellow, lamp light, the Uchiha was finally able to give a face to the name he had heard in his dreams. Pink, short, messy hair, with bright, green eyes and delicate traces that were corrupted by a bruise on her lower lip. That was the girl whose name kept resonating inside his mind during the entire time he was out of his senses.
Now, Sakura had a body, a soul and a face. And a beautiful one, to say the least.
But that was not the time for him to be paying attention to her looks, he knew. There were many more important things for him to discover about his current situation. And the first thing he had to find out would be wether that pink haired girl was an enemy or not.
“ Who-“ He felt his muscles responding to his commands, to which he took a second to adjust. “ Who are you?”
“ You’re talking normally already… That’s a good sign.” She placed a finger over her lips, as if to indicate she was trying to ratiocinate. “ And since you’re following me with your eyes, I can conclude your vision is fine, too, right?”
“ You didn’t answer my question.”
“ Good perception, short term memory unaffected and indices of personality. A strong one.” The girl nodded, showing somewhat of a content face. “ Now do you remember what happened to you?”
From his horizontal position, he could see her green eyes blinking in curiosity. Her expression seemed calm as she evaluated him, and at that moment, she didn’t seem to be paying attention to his question at all. It felt as if she was deliberately ignoring him, and even if he had just woken up, the Uchiha was already losing his patience.
That girl…
“ If you remember anything, you can t-“
“Sakura!”
His voice came out louder, causing her eyes to widen for a moment. It was clear that she didn’t seem impressed or intimidated by him, but as he had expected, the girl did seem intrigued by the fact that he actually knew her name. At that moment, when things were still so uncertain, Sasuke knew he had to hold onto any possible advantage he could have.
He had to show her that apart from his physical condition, he was not defeated.
He was not vulnerable.
“ Answer my question.” He ordered, his voice strong and consistent.
“ But you already seem to know my name. And apparently, this shows you remember when Naruto brought you to me.”
“ Hn, just your name isn’t enough.”
“ My name and the fact that I’ve saved you are the only things you need to know about me for now.”
“ Tch You-“
His voice was cut out by a sudden cough that escaped his lungs. The violent movements of his chest hurt like hell, and at that moment, Sasuke did his best to shift his position on what he could finally identify as a couch. He tried to move and breath all alone, but it didn’t take long before the girl quickly approached him. Her warm hands returned to his body, reaching for his chest and resting on his back, as she was carefully helping him sit up.
Her hands, as he could feel, were soft and pure from callous, showing him that she clearly didn’t belong to the same world as him and Naruto. Due to her proximity, he could feel her scent invading his nostrils, and even if moving his muscles still hurt like hell, the Uchiha felt a soothing sensation as she helped him. He could feel how much care she put under her touch, showing she knew exactly how much pain he was feeling at that moment.
She cared about him. About a person she didn’t even know. She took him in and saved his life, not minding about his unknown past and his criminal records.
Trying to intimidate her wouldn’t be necessary, for Sakura is merely a civilian, he concluded. She is a good person. And that would be the death of her someday, he knew.
Oh, but he didn’t know her at all.
“ Thanks.” He muttered, as she went to grab a chair to place next to the couch. At that moment, as the covers he had over his body slipped, he could see the bandages wrapped around his bare torso, and judging by the amount of new hematoma around his belly, the Uchiha could tell those ninjas really got the best of him. The pain he felt when he brushed his fingers over the bandages sent electric jolts through his nerves, and he knew he was probably not supposed to touch that again so soon.
“ It will still take a couple of days until it stops hurting like that. And also, don’t worry. Naruto isn’t here right now, but he will be back in a couple of days with new clothes and some medicine”
“ Hn. What happened to me? I mean… After I got here.”
Her eyes were softer now, as she sat across from him, with her arms and legs crossed. A sigh escaped her lips, and she ran her fingers through her messy hair, massaging her scalp in the process. “ You were poisoned by Iwa ninjas. Naruto brought you here and I basically saved your life by giving you an antidote.”
“ And why did you help me?”
“ What kind of question is that? You needed help, so I helped. End of story.”
“ You don’t even know who I am.”
“ Of course I do.”
“ Do you?”
“ Yes. You’re Naruto’s friend. You’re a rouge ninja from the Leaf, who ran after Orochimaru three years ago. You’re a criminal, Uchiha Sasuke.”
As she took a sip of her coffee she had previously left resting on the floor, the Uhciha’s eyes widened in shock. The steam coming out of the mug made her eyes look even more mysterious, and for a moment, he felt defenseless against a girl who couldn’t even hold a kunai. Her knowledge of him was impressive and the advantage he thought he had was now gone.
That girl knew him. She knew more than people normally did, and for a reason he did not know, he knew Naruto hadn’t been the one to tell her all of those things. There was nothing naive about her intentions, for she knew exactly who was the one she was taking care of.
Sakura knew too much. And at that moment, not knowing exactly how much was his biggest disadvantage.
“ So you do know me.”
“ I can say I know a bit more than just your name.” She smirked. “ You know, that’s the problem with you, ninjas… You think us civilians are idiots and don’t know what’s happening around us… but guess what: we live in the same world, so I assure you that we do know a lot of stuff.”
“ Hn. Why don’t you call the ANBU then? The elders won’t like it when they find out you’re hiding a criminal in the village?”
A chuckle escaped her lips when he finished his sentence, and he didn’t know exactly what part of his speech had left her in such a good mood. “ Do you honestly think I care about the elders?”
“ Shouldn’t you?”
“ Maybe… If we were actually in Konoha, I could even pretend to care about them.”
A smirk crossed her lips once again, and he didn’t like how things were turning out at that moment. That civilian girl- Sakura was a lot more dangerous than he had thought. Of course she saved his life and showed concern, but apparently, just that wasn’t enough for her to be classified as a good person. She was hiding her cards, and she was doing it better than many ninjas he knows.
He certainly wouldn’t underestimate her.
“ So that was why Naruto brought me here.”
“ Probably. Hospitals wouldn’t take a criminal.”
“ Hn, you’re calling me a criminal, and yet, you won’t denounce me.”
“ How can you be so sure I haven’t sent the letter already?”
“ A civilian with wide medical knowledge, who lives outside the village, in the middle of nowhere and takes care of a criminal… You don’t seem to want to draw attention to yourself either. So I would say you're either a criminal as well or you’re just running away from something.”
“…” A smile grew in her face, as she placed her now empty mug back on the wooden floor. She rested her elbows on her knees, and approached him with a defying glare in her emerald eyes. “For a ninja, you’re not that stupid, Sasuke.”
“ Tch.”
“ You’re not entirely right, though… I’m not a criminal like you and I’m not really running away. I just want some peace to work with my poisons. If the village found out about my location, they would start coming by and that would be annoying. Naruto brings me enough problems every now and then already, if you know what I mean.”
“ Hn.”
Even if her story did seem plausible, the Uchiha knew it was not complete. Sakura was hiding the real reasons behind her secret exile, and even if he knew that had probably nothing to do with him, he couldn’t help but feel intrigued by that mystery.
Why would a medic be hiding from her own village?
That certainly made no sense, especially considering her strong will to save lives. There had to be something more. Other factors that made her do what she did, because he knows- oh, and how he knows- that leaving the place you’ve always called home is one of the hardest things in the world. Sakura probably had reasons just like him that made her walk through those gates never to return again.
Places to meet. Memories to erase. People to forget.
Could it really be that a girl with such beautiful eyes had so much darkness to hide in her heart?
All those unanswered questions were leaving him mad, and apparently, the expression stamped on his face was giving in to his current internal state. The pink haired girl was looking at him with a sly smile playing on her lips, and even if her social skills had decreased a lot since she left Konoha all those years before, Sakura could read him like an open book.
Sasuke was curious. He was torturing himself over the unexplained decision of a civilian to reject Konoha in the same way he did. He was dying to know the truth. And even if she found amusement in his current condition, the girl wasn’t that much of a terrible person to simply sit there and watch him suffer.
There would be no harm in telling him the truth, she thought.
It was not like he would return to the village to tell the elders about her location.
“ You wanna know why I left, don’t you?”
“ A-Aah.” He looked away, not wanting to show his real feelings.
“ It’s not that much of a big deal, to be honest… It’s just that, being good at something is only good for drawing the wrong attention in the ninja world.” Her eyes aimed at the floor, and he watched as she let out a sigh.
“What do you mean by wrong attention?”
“ Just think about it, Sasuke… A medic who knows the bases of most of the poisons used around the Five Great nations, and who doesn’t have a single drop of chakra in her blood… What do you think people would want from m-“
“ An undetectable weapon.”
His words left his mouth as a whisper after reaching the conclusion her question led him to. His eyes widened and there was a gap in between his lips as he watched her nod, confirming his hypothesis.
Of course, he thought. It all made sense now.
Even if she’s not a medical ninja, it doesn’t mean she’s of no use for the village’s combat strategies. In fact, her lack of chakra made her the perfect person to infiltrate missions, where a fast and imperceptible kill would be necessary. They wanted to turn her into a silent weapon that could easily end many lives with a simple herb mixture.
They wanted to turn her into an assassin.
And he was sure they weren’t satisfied when she said no.
Sakura’s a medic. She saves lives and heals people, no matter who these people might actually be. She’s guided by her ideals, and of course those ideals were the main reason why she didn’t accept the offer from that bandaged man.
She said ‘No' to one of the most influential ninjas of Konoha, and even if she was a civilian, Sakura knew she could never live a normal life again with that man and his special team following her and coordinating her every action. The medic had to leave. And that was exactly what she did on that cold, winter night.
She left it all behind. She was forced to. And for that, the girl whose choices were stollen deserves to have her strength acknowledged.
By him and by the ones who still remember about her.
“ Sakura…“
“ It’s not really a big deal, though… I got used and-“
“ Is it… Is it really okay for you to be all alone?” His voice came out almost as a whisper that flickers a candle’s light, as their eyes were now intimately connected. That was the same question he has asked himself every single day of his life for the past three years, and depending on her answer, he would know exactly what to expect from the girl who saved his life.
The question, he could see, left her a little uncomfortable. He could see it as she tried to look aside for a moment, and when she unconsciously bit her lower lip, drawing blood from her bruise, the Uchiha knew she had been avoiding that answer for a long time as well.
She had been avoiding loneliness for all this time.
“ I don’t mind spending my days without anyone here.” She said, dryly, as she licked the blood from her lips. “ It’s not like things would be that different if I were in Konoha. There’s no one there for me.”
His heart pounded at her declaration, and it was only now that he realized how that girl was a loner just like him. Things were taken from her, yet she grew from that loss. She became a medic, mending the others instead of mending herself, and that was her way of coping with the loneliness she eventually brought upon herself.
Sakura found a good way to move on. And for that, he respected her.
For that, he respected her choice.
“ You seem to be quite confident about yourself.”
“ I am. You gotta learn a thing or two after spending so long living alone. You can even call it… Comforting."
“ Hn.” He smirked. " Naruto wouldn’t like to hear that.”
“ Tch, that idiot comes to my house at least once a week to check on me. He’s impossible-shannarou.”
“ He’s just worried.”
“ He shouldn’t be. I know how to take care of myself.”
“ Are you sure?”
“Definitely. Remember that you’re alive simply because I want you to be, Uchiha Sasuke.” She smirked, turning the atmosphere lighter around them. Slowly, they were growing more comfortable around each other, and the reason behind it was probably because they knew how equally alone they were.
Both Sasuke and Sakura were just two, lonely souls trapped in the choices made by their pasts, and at that moment, finding someone who shares the same loneliness felt more than just good.
It felt safe. And safety is the keyword for that duo.
Safety in a life with no certainties.
“ If you say so…” The corner of his lips lifted in amusement, as he dropped his eyes to his lap. Sleepiness was starting to kick in once again, as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning his head to find her eyes once again. There was a tender expression ruling his face, and even with all the bandages and all the bruises spread around his body, Sakura could see the real Uchiha Sasuke.
Not the stranger. Not the criminal and certainly not the ninja who was trying to intimidate her earlier.
She saw the boy who used to play around with his brother during the spring of their days.
And that boy- oh… He was still as beautiful as he used to be.
“ Well… I think I should let you rest. Something tells me you don’t want to be here by the time Naruto comes back, and for that, you’ll need to heal as much as possible.”
“ Hn. That sounds like a good idea.”
“ Yeah…” She stood up from the chair, stretching her back and allowing herself to release a yawn. The Uchiha was definitely not the only one who needed some good hours of sleep, apparently. “ If you need anything, just call me… It’s a small cottage and I’m a light sleeper, so… Just call me.”
“ I will.”
“ Then… Good night, Sasuke.”
“Aah… Good night.”
She started making her way upstairs, as his eyes followed her every step. That girl was certainly special, and he knew that their story- or whatever had happened between them that night- was far from over. Their paths would cross again in the future, and he knew that whenever he needed, he would know exactly where to find the lonely, civilian medic who saved his life.
The girl who made him feel safe.
“ Oh! And Sakura.”
“ Uh? What is it?”
“Thank you… For saving my life.”
“ Hn.” She smiled. “ You’re welcome.”
“ And sorry about your lip. I didn’t do it on purpose, though. You should know better than to kiss a criminal.”
“ Aah…” She smirked, feeling her cheeks getting warmer. So he didn’t forget about that, after all. “ I think I’ve learned my lesson.”
Enough time passed for both her lower lip and his body to almost heal completely. The rain had stopped along with his pain, and as they were less than 24 hours away from the day the blond was supposed to return, both Sasuke and Sakura knew that the time had come for him to leave.
Even if he wasn’t fully recovered and even if she had asked him to stay a little longer, the Uchiha knew his departure was inevitable. Due to his unfinished business with his past, he knew he could not rest until everything was settled, and postponing things would only make things worse. His path was already traced from the time he set his foot out of the Konoha gates, and no matter what, he could not get distracted.
Not even if he wanted to.
“ Do you really have to go?”
Her small form was standing just outside the cottage, as she leaned against her door frame. Her sleepy, emerald eyes softly connected with his dark ones, and her cheeks were a bit red due to the cold, morning breeze. A warm robe protected her from the chilling wind, and her pink locks were perfectly framing her tired face. Sakura was certainly not used to waking up that early, as a yawn would escape her lips every now and then, and her rib cage seemed to be rising and falling in quite a slow pace.
She should’ve certainly gone to bed earlier instead of preparing his supplies until so late.
Well, but it was not like she would be able to sleep that night. Not knowing he would be gone by the morning.
“ Aah. I don’t want the dobe to find me here tomorrow.”
“ It’s gonna be hard to explain to him why I let you go… Especially when he told me to sedate you until the day of his return.”
A smirk grew on his lips, as he could certainly picture his best friend saying such thing with his characteristic ‘dattebayo' in the end of the sentence.
Naruto was really an idiot.
“ You can tell him I left in the middle of the night or something.”
“ Yeah… Or you could stay and say… hi?” Her eyes were looking at him tenderly, as her low voice came out with the option she would’ve preferred him to choose. There was a pout on her lips, and seeing such thing made his own chest feel a little warmer.
Who would’ve thought that they would end up like that after merely one week?
The time they’ve spent together, even if short, was enough for them to create something similar to a bond. They learned more about each other and shared memories of their old days in Konoha. She gave him Naruto’s spare clothes she keeps in her drawer, and sewed the Uchiha crest on its back just so he wouldn’t have to walk around without his proud symbol stamped on his back. Sakura made him her famous and disgusting soldier pills so he could recover faster, and there were nights when they would actually dine something tasteful together.
It was a life none of them were used to anymore. It was a simple life, lived by simple people who were more than just a medic and a ninja. They enjoyed the time and enjoyed each other’s company, even if loneliness was practically a part of their DNA already.
They had a good time, for sure.
But now it was time for them to go back to what they used to be.
It was time to go back to reality. A new reality, filled with memories and promises that would forever be stuck in their minds.
Nothing would ever be the same. Not even if they wanted to.
“ Hn, I bet he wouldn’t like to see me in his clothes.”
Sakura chuckled, placing a hand on her hip. “ I guess he will be mad about that…” A soft smile went to play on her lips, as her eyes were now drifting to the forest that surrounded them. The tall trees that hid her exile were as strong as ever, serving as walls that kept the world away.
She was thankful for them, yet, at that very moment, as the wind danced around their trunks and reached their locks, the pink haired medic also felt that they threatened something precious. The girl swallowed dry, feeling her chest tightening as she realized his feet were starting to get ready for departure.
The pinkette didn’t want him to go. Not just because he was still not fully recovered, but also because she enjoyed his company more than she would like to admit. He gave her something she believed to be long lost in her heart, and at that moment, she just wanted to make sure that, one day, he could bring back that something, whatever that was.
He had to…
“ … You know the way, right?” Her voice came out as a whisper, her cheeks were blushing and judging by how her lips were forming a thin line, the Uchiha knew she was not talking about the way that led him back to his path of revenge. She was talking about the path that led him back to her. And you bet he knew it by heart.
“ Aah.” He smiled shyly, taking a step away. “ I’ll be back…”
Her entire expression changed at his promise, and she could feel her heart beating faster. There was a beautiful smile on her lips, and seeing her like that made him feel incredibly light inside. Somehow, that girl- the girl with pink hair and green eyes who managed to save his life a week before, was now more than just that pink, faceless blur. She had a face. She had a life, and a place to live her life.
A place that felt more like home than his old apartment back in Konoha.
And someday, he would return to that cottage hidden in the woods so he could call it home.
Someday, he would safely return to her.
“ Just try not to be dying next time you come around, okay?”
“ Hn, don’t worry. I’ll have to be okay if I want to teach you how to use a kunai properly, right?”
“ Oh, so you’re saying they were not made to cut carrots?” She teased, smirking softly.
“ Tch… Civilians.”
“ Hn. Shinobis.”
