The three days of packing were the longest three days of Sakura's life. She couldn't stop going on to her parents about how she was going to break out of her shell and see the world with Sasuke-kun. Her parents were stoked that things were finally going well with her and the Uchiha, but they warned her to take care of herself nonetheless.
It was finally time. The pink-haired ninja carried her bag and left her house, heading for the Konoha gate to meet Sasuke. She hugged her parents and told them she'll see them soon.
When she got to the gate, Sasuke had just arrived. He looked up and saw her, and a smile appeared on his face.
Stay cool, Sakura. Don't freak out and fangirl like crazy.
"Ohiou Sasuke-kun," she greeted. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah. Are you sure about this?"
"More sure than I've ever been," she said with a bright, wide smile. "Do you know where we're going?"
"Yes I do. Come on, let's get out of here."
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After hours of getting through the trees engulfing Konohagakure and walking for miles without rest, the two ninjas saw a village coming into view from a distance. As they got closer to it, Sasuke started to recognize the architecture. "I've been here before," he told Sakura.
"Really, you have? What was the town called?"
"Akaigawa. Its people were generous, but they were going through an economic crisis at the time."
"I hope things got better, though it doesn't look like it.." she added.
"Yeah, me too."
The small town felt dead and gloomy under the sunset, the high buildings that were once colorful and lively now had their paint chipping off. There were houses that were torn down, and others that were under construction.
Even in the market place, there was barely anyone buying and the vendors looked sad. There were homeless children in every corner, some digging in the trash cans and others sleeping on the ground, seemingly waiting to die.
Sakura's eyes softened at the sight, her eyebrows furrowing at the thought that people were barely surviving here. Sasuke was bothered too, but of course, his expression was unreadable as always.
Suddenly, Sasuke's fist was moving towards Sakura, and confused as she was, she didn't move until she realized Sasuke was trying to punch someone behind her.
The man fell on one of the fruit stands, then scurried to his feet and tried to aim the large wooden stick in his hand at Sakura. Before he could, the Uchiha was already in front of her breaking the stick in half like it was nothing. Suddenly the man took notice of the Uchiha's Rinnegan eye and quickly turned the other way.
"Wait!" Sakura yelled at the escapee. "Stop running!"
The man looked back at her and slowed down but didn't stop completely, so Sakura had to jog after him. "Why were you trying to attack me?" she called after him.
The man came to a halt and turned around, his eyes solemn and tired. He looked down, as if ashamed of himself, and started speaking in a low voice.
"I can no longer afford to put food on the table for my family," he explained. "So I was trying to steal your pack."
Sakura wasn't surprised, but her heart still hurt nonetheless, and it showed on her face. Sasuke watched her closely as she took out her wallet and handed the man a large amount of money. "Next time, just ask for help nicely old man," she told the stranger with a smile. "I hope things get better for you soon."
The older man looked like he was on the brink of tears, but he managed to conserve the last shred of dignity he had in front of the medic-nin. "A-arigato." The cherry blossom didn't say anything; she just smiled gladly and walked away. The Uchiha on the other hand gave the man another glare before turning around and seeing Sakura running. She stopped at the fruit stand the man had fallen over earlier, and she apologized to him. Not only that, but she started helping the owners pick up what had fallen and organize them in a clean, evenly order once again.
Sasuke caught up and started helping out as well-as well as he could with one arm-but he was dumb struck by what had just happened.
His entire life, he'd been conditioned to be hostile towards anyone who attempts to hurt him or those he cares about. His first instinct is to fight; to attack and ask questions later. But for Sakura, it was different. She always took the time to try and figure out the heart of the problem before judging a person solely based on their actions without knowing the full story.
It makes sense, he thought, as he looked at the kind girl in front of him. How else would she be standing here next to me after everything I've done?
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It was already getting dark, and the two shinobis were exhausted from their journey. It'd been a long, relatively eventful day after all, so rest was the only option they had at the moment. Sasuke walked them both to the same inn he'd stayed at the last time he was in town. It wasn't much, but it would do.
"Sorry, we only have a single-bed room left that's not occupied," the man at the front desk informed them. "Are you sure?" Sakura asked, a little blush creeping onto her cheeks.
"Yep."
Slightly blushing himself, Sasuke remembered that there were no other inns or hotels nearby. "Sakura...it's okay. Let's just get some rest."
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The room was small and simple. There was a bed in the middle of the room covered with white sheets and a white blanket, a night stand, a small table, and a door that probably led to the bathroom. The two ninjas placed their backpacks on the floor and took off their cloaks. Sakura dug for her pajamas while Sasuke looked out the window at the moon. It was a night of a full moon he noted to himself.
Sakura's voice broke him out of his thoughts. "Umm, I guess I'll just change in the bathroom then," she said, avoiding eye contact. The gesture made Sasuke slightly embarrassed as well, though he wasn't quite sure why. "O-okay."
As the cherry blossom took her time in the bathroom, Sasuke quickly changed as well. He'd gotten used to doing things with a single arm by now, but sometimes it could get a little inconvenient.
Sakura stepped out of the restroom wearing white shorts and a long sleeve green shirt that matched her eyes. She was still blushing when Sasuke offered to sleep on the floor. "No no, it's okay, I, um, the bed is big enough for two I think."
"Okay," Sasuke said without trying to make much of an argument, and still avoiding Sakura's eyes.
They climbed into bed, each taking the extreme side. They tried to distribute the blanket evenly between them, but the blanket was too small.
They got closer together as Sakura awkwardly chuckled, her body setting on fire by the second.
Thank you blanket, a small voice called somewhere in the back of Sakura's mind.
"Well, goodnight then Sasuke-kun," she told the Uchiha as their backs faced each other. "Yeah, goodnight," he replied as he reached for the lamp on the nightstand and turned it off.
It was about thirty minutes when Sakura checked to see if the man lying next to her was sleeping or not. "Sasuke-kun, are you still awake?"
"Yes I am. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I just...needed to tell you something." With that, the dark-haired man rolled over to his back.
"Thanks for defending me today," Sakura began. "I really appreciate it. But...from now on Sasuke-kun, please give me a chance to take care of myself. I can hold my own now; I'm not the same, weak little girl from back then."
She couldn't see it, but Sasuke was smiling. "No you're not," he agreed, and now she was smiling too. Now that she'd gotten that out of the way, the exhaustion slowly took over her body and it was easier to fall asleep. Not Sasuke though, his mind was still too busy with the full moon out the window.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but he was finally getting tired and sleepy. He turned onto his left arm and saw Sakura facing him in her peaceful sleep. Her short, pink strands fell on her eyes, and Sasuke couldn't resist fixing them for her. He reached out his fingers and slowly put the silky strands of hair behind the sleeping beauty's ear in an effort to not wake her.
It was a special moment for the last Uchiha. The scene in front of him right now, a beautiful woman lying next to him under the moonlight; it was beginning to awaken something in him that he'd been afraid of since he'd seen the bodies of his dead parents lying there on the cold floor. He was slowly falling under the spell of craving a type of affection and feeling that didn't consume him with darkness and wrath. He wanted a new type of bond, one similar yet different than the one he had with his dear brother.
He didn't realize it then, but Sasuke was falling back in place with the rest of the human race. His inner desires no longer consisted of revenge, but of the very fundamental instinct that every human struggled with their entire lives: to love, and be loved.
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Hello everyone!
What did you think of this chapter? ;) Things are getting pretty spicey huh?
Question: Team Valor, Mystic, or Instinct?
I'm Team Mystic ;)