"Just tonight, I won't leave, and I'll lie and you'll believe. Just tonight, I will see... That it's all because of me."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The morning after that was just plain awkward. Suigetsu and I still had our random discussions, Karin continued to glare at me... It was a normal morning, more or less. However, something just felt off.
The conversation I had with Sasuke the night before kept running through my mind. Our relationship was already so complicated and tragic... I didn't want to complicate things even more by talking about it.
But still... I couldn't help what I was feeling right now. And the fact that I didn't know what the hell I was feeling anymore really just screwed me over, too.
I knew that I didn't hate Sasuke. I knew that I should, but for some reason, I just couldn't. I never bothered to figure out what that reason was, until now. And now, I was terrified to figure it out. Why? Because I already had a good feeling of what that reason was. And that reason could be summed up it four simple words:
I still loved Sasuke.
But I didn't want to. I knew that I hated him for what he did with every fiber of my being. But then why... Why couldn't I stop thinking about him? Why did I enjoy being so close to him? Why did I shiver in delight whenever his skin made contact with mine? None of it made sense.
I wanted so badly to hate him, but I couldn't. I was supposed to hate him. After what he did, I wasn't supposed to care about him.
Yet here I was, sitting only five feet away from him.
Why did my love life have to be so damn complicated?
And, on top of that, I felt in my gut that something was going to happen today. I didn't know if it was good or bad, but I had a feeling that it'd involve Sasuke. And honestly? I was afraid.
Suigetsu and Jugo went off into the forest to search for more wood. Karin was cleaning up, and Sasuke and I began moving the used firewood away from our campsite.
"Minxie," Sasuke said suddenly, making me look up.
"Yeah?" I inquired, tilting my head at him.
"Can I talk to you for a second?" Oh, this isn't going to be good.
I forced a smile. "Sure."
Karin wasn't paying attention, apparently, because Sasuke and I were able to walk away without her freaking out. He led me to a hill not too far away from our campsite.
We stood around in an awkward silence, neither of us sure how to begin this complicated conversation.
So, I began with, "Look, Sasuke, if this is about what you asked me last night-"
"It isn't," He assured. "I don't need you to answer that question anymore. I have a different one."
I was suspicious and curious. "Okay... What is it?"
"You're still here," He said. "I've insulted you, angered you, and frustrated you until the point of insanity. I even kept your weapons from you... Yet you're still here. Why? Why, even after all that I've done to you, do you still stay?"
I considered my answer for a few moments. "I... I don't know," I said truthfully. "Every day... I woke up thinking to myself 'this is it. I'm going to leave today.' But whenever it came down to leaving... I couldn't do it. I kept on telling myself 'just tonight. just one more night...' And then one night turned into two nights, then three, then four... And now... Now, I... I just don't know what to feel anymore."
"We're unhealthy for each other," He decided.
I nodded, smiling dryly. "Terribly unhealthy. Yet... I just can't stay away."
"So you've stopped hating me?"
"I... I'm not sure that I ever really started."
He stared at me for a long while. I hadn't noticed it, but this entire time, we'd been moving closer to each other.
"Minxie..." He began darkly, but he never got to finish.
"Sasuke!" A voice shouted, and we both turned around to see Karin. Her eyes narrowed at the fact that we were so close to one another, but apparently, whatever she had sensed was much more important. "We've got a huge problem!"
Sasuke's eyes never left mine. "What is it, Karin?"
"We've been followed! I sense people, and their chakras aren't only dark, but huge! They'll be here any minute now, and chances are... They're after us!"
:A Few Moments Earlier:
Ryuu's POV
"... There," Scarlett said, pointing downward from atop the cliff we stood on. "They're down there. There's five of them, Minxie included. There're only three at the campsite... The other two are out in the woods."
"So this is it, then?" I inquired, my eyes spotting the camp fire that had been put out. "My sister's right there?"
"Mmhm," She answered. "It's time for heads to roll."
I smirked, looking down. I looked back up at her. "Thank you," I said sincerely. "For helping me find my sister."
"Don't mention it," She said. "I had a lot of fun. It wasn't your average date, but... It was close enough."
I rolled my eyes. "Just one last question."
"Shoot," She said, putting a hand on her hip.
"Why did you help me?" I asked. "It's not like I've been very nice to you... I've been terrible to you, actually. Although you can't blame me... Why did you help me?"
"I wasn't kidding around when I said I liked you, Ryuu," She said.
I smirked. "You say it like you have feelings."
She rolled her eyes. "I may not have all of my emotions in check... But I do feel," She said. "Humanity... Love... They're a shinobi's greatest weakness. But without them... There's no point to existence." She looked at me. "For years now, I've suppressed my emotions. Sometimes I let them back in."
And for the first time since I met her, I actually felt bad for Scarlett.
"Quit looking at me like that," She snapped. "This little moment doesn't change anything. Once we're back in the village, you'll go back to hating me with a passion, and I'll go back to screwing around with everyone." She smirked.
I smirked back at her. "So much for hoping... But I guess we wouldn't want it any other way."
"Of course not," She said, smiling her perfect smile. "Now, go save your annoying little sister."
"All right. You remember the plan?"
"What do I look like? Naruto? Of course I do. Now, run along. Try not to miss me too much."
I smirked. "Don't push it, Scarlett."
She shrugged. "I had to try," She said. She waved mockingly at me. "I'll see you on the other side of the forest. But, please, try not to die."
"Wouldn't dream of it," I said, and with a farewell smirk, she disappeared.
I looked down at the campsite, my hands hidden within my black cloak.
It was finally time for Sasuke and I to meet; face-to-face.
Minxie's POV
I knew something like this was going to happen. I had felt off since I woke up.
I had no idea who was following us, but I was afraid of who they were after. What if they were looking for me? If anyone else was put in danger because of me, I'd never be able to forgive myself.
"How many are there?" Sasuke inquired calmly to Karin.
Karin closed her eyes and then reopened them a few seconds later. "Two. Two of them, but their chakras are enormous!"
Sasuke was quiet for a few moments. "Karin, take Minxie and get away from here. Find Suigetsu and Jugo and wait for me in the closest town."
"What?" I asked in disbelief. "What about you?"
"I'll take care of them," He answered. "Two people are no big deal."
"Did you not hear what Karin just said? Those two people have huge chakras! You can't fight them by yourself!" I exclaimed.
"I've made my decision," He said. "Now, go."
"No," I refused. "I'm not leaving."
"Minxie," He warned. "Don't make this complicated. Leave."
"Not without you," I insisted, crossing my arms over my chest.
His onyx eyes stared into mine for a long moment. "Karin... Give us a minute. Wait for Minxie at the campsite. She'll be down in a second."
"But Sasuke-" Karin began.
"Go," He commanded, and she grunted, storming off towards the campsite.
"Don't stay behind," I said the second Karin was out of site. "Come with us."
"No," Sasuke said. "Whoever's coming this way needs to be stopped. I can stop them."
"But what if you get hurt?" I asked, concern in my eyes. "What if you... Die?"
"Does it matter?" His mouth tilted into a slight smirk. "You don't care, remember?"
"Well... Maybe I was lying!" I blurted.
"What?" He asked, raising a fine eyebrow at me.
"Maybe I was lying," I repeated. "Maybe... Maybe I do care."
"After what I did to you... You shouldn't care," He said.
"I know," I said. "What you did was terrible. But that doesn't mean you deserve to die. Please, Sasuke. Don't stay here. Come with us." He opened his mouth to object, so I quickly cut him off with a weak attempt, "It could be my extremely belated birthday present...?"
"Hn... I never got you anything for your birthday, did I?" He inquired.
"I wasn't being serious, but... I guess not," I muttered.
"Well... What do you want for your birthday? It can be anything you want."
"Anything?" I breathed out.
"Anything," He confirmed.
I knew what I wanted. It was what I had wanted for three years. What I was praying would happen if I hoped enough.
"Come back to the village with me...?" I said meekly, biting my lip.
"Minxie..." Sasuke sighed.
"It doesn't have to be for me," I said quickly. "You don't have to stay with me. We don't need to date. We can live on opposite sides of the village if you want. Please... Just come back home. I don't care if you hate me... I'm begging you, Sasuke, just come home."
He turned away, his back towards me. "Anything... But that."
I was expecting that. No matter what he felt towards me... Sasuke's revenge came first. It always had, and it always would. Still... I couldn't help but hope.
"Oh," I said, my voice quiet. "But... Anything other than that?"
"Anything," He said, his back still facing me.
More than anything, I wanted Sasuke to give up his revenge. But I knew that he never would. Not even for me.
However, there was one more thing that I wanted just as much as I wanted him to come back to Konoha. It was something simple, but it was something that would end up changing everything.
It was terribly wrong; I knew that much. But even knowing that... I was selfish. No matter how wrong what I wanted was, I wanted it too much. I had wanted it since Sasuke and I saw each other again.
I was prepared to risk everything for this one desire of mind, yet I didn't care. I was just so tired of fighting it.
"Kiss me...?" I breathed out, my heart racing in my chest.
Sasuke's body froze. Slowly, he turned around to stare at me. For once, I saw emotion in his eyes. And what I saw meant everything. He wanted the same thing I did.
In two long strides, Sasuke was directly in front of me, capturing my lips with his. And, for the first time in years, I felt completely alive. My heart suddenly stopped hurting. It was as if Sasuke had never broken it in the first place.
Our mouths molded perfectly together, and I tangled my fingers into his dark hair at the same time he wrapped his arms around my waist.
The second his lips touched mine, something sparked up inside of me. My whole being was warm, and my heart was rekindled alive.
I knew how wrong it was. But I just didn't care. The feel of his lips against mine was just too perfect.
This wasn't just an ordinary kiss. This kiss said everything that Sasuke and I would never be able to say by ourselves. I felt everything he had been feeling for the last three years. Pain, regret, love, lust... Each layer that hid our emotions was peeled away the closer we got to each other.
There was no denying it anymore. I didn't hate Sasuke; I never had. I was just lying to myself. I was always too stubborn for my own good.
The truth was... I loved him. I still loved him. No matter what he had done to me in the past, I'd always care about him. He was and always would be my first love. And no matter how much I tried to get over him, I'd never be able to.
I loved him. I loved Sasuke. And in my heart, I knew I always would.
Suddenly, Gaara didn't matter. He deserved better than me, anyway. He'd gone through so much... All I would do for him is complicate things. I cared about him so much... But then there was Sasuke.
Sasuke always hurt me, that was true. Yet, at the end of the day, he'd do something completely selfless and unexpected, and I'd forgive him without even thinking about it. He might've not been able to say it, but I knew what he was thinking: He loved me, too.
He'd been waiting for me to notice. You'd think that after he'd saved my life countless times, I would've noticed it. But I didn't. Sometimes I was just so oblivious to the most obvious things.
We both knew how unsafe we were for each other. We'd end up being each other's destruction. But at that point, it just didn't matter. Nothing else mattered besides Sasuke and I.
Our simple kiss turned into more of a make-out session when Sasuke's tongue slid across my bottom lip. I gladly let him in, too caught up in my own bliss to fight back.
Our tongues engaged in a heated battle, and I welcomed the familiar taste of his mouth into my own. I had missed this so much.
I didn't want our kiss to end, but sadly, it did. Sasuke rested his forehead against mine, opening his onyx eyes to stare into my emerald ones.
"I'm sorry..." He whispered, and I knew that he truly was. "... But you need to leave."
I frowned. "But I can't just-"
"Shh," He hushed, stroking my cheek with his thumb. "You can."
"... I love you," I whispered, placing a hand on his cheek. He didn't respond. Instead, he pressed his lips against mine in another fiery kiss that told me he felt the same.
"You shouldn't. And I shouldn't, either, but... I love you," He said. He kissed me once more, removing my hands from around him. "Now, go."
I was reluctant, but I was in too much of a daze to argue. I walked over to the other side of the hill, turning back around to face him. "Sasuke?" I called. "Please don't die."
He smirked. "Don't count me out before I've even started." He nudged his chin in the opposite direction. "Go."
Sending a small smile his way, I ran down the hill and towards the campsite, where Karin was waiting.
"Finally!" She exclaimed. "What the hell took you so long!?"
"I was-"
"Oh, I don't care!" She grabbed my arm and began to pull me along. "Just hurry up!"
We took off, running away from the campsite. I was tempted to turn around and head back to Sasuke, but I knew Karin would never let me go.
"You're scared," I noted, examining her expression.
She glowered at me. "You'd be, too, if you felt their chakra." Then, suddenly, her face turned pale. "Stop!" We both halted our movements instantly.
"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice going up a level in alarm.
"It's here," She said, her eyes wide. "One of them is here. And I didn't even sense it..."
We heard a bell-chime laugh, and we both jumped. Sounds were being made in different directions, and we had no idea where the real culprit was. We were being toyed with.
"Who's there!?" Karin shouted, her head whipping from side to side.
"Boo," a voice said from behind us, and we both whirled around to see... Me?
My jar dropped. "Scarlett?" I asked in disbelief.
"Minxie," Scarlett greeted with a smirk. "Missed me?"
Third Person's POV
Back at the hill, Sasuke Uchiha was patiently waiting for his enemy to arrive. He had no idea who was chasing him, but suddenly, whoever it was didn't seem at all important. He was more interested in what had happened between him and Minxie only seconds earlier.
Being around her made him feel things he'd never feel on his own. And kissing her? It set his heart alight, although his heart was supposed to be dead a long time ago.
He knew he didn't deserve her. He knew how wrong it was to kiss her. But it was wrong enough to make it feel right.
The presence Sasuke felt snapped him out of his thoughts. He knew someone was watching him, but he couldn't place their chakra. It seemed vaguely familiar... As if he knew someone related to this person.
"Who goes there?" Sasuke asked calmly.
The stranger chuckled, emerging from the shadows. "Impressive," He mused. "You were able to sense me."
Sasuke turned around to see a boy around his age with chocolate brown hair and emerald green eyes. "Do I know you?" Sasuke asked boredly.
"No," the stranger replied. "But I know you. You're Sasuke Uchiha, ex-shinobi of Konohagakure... Formerly on Team 7, led by Kakashi Hatake, consisting Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, and Minxie Takeda, the same girl you dated in the Leaf Village."
Sasuke's jaw clenched. "I don't have time for this." He turned around to leave.
"What if I told you that I know your brother?"
That made the Uchiha freeze. Slowly, he turned back around to face the green-eyed stranger.
The brown-haired teen smirked. "Just as I thought. So obsessed with vengeance... You twitch at the mere mention of your brother," He said.
"What do you want?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing.
"I want to talk to you," the stranger replied. "And I also want to punch you in the face, among other things. Anyway... I know your brother quite well. In fact, for most of my life... He was my sensei."
"Who... Who are you?" Sasuke asked, actually curious.
"I'm not a fan of yours, for one thing. However... I'm an ex-Akatsuki member, a former student of Itachi Uchiha, and, currently, an ANBU of Konoha," the green-eyed teen replied. "My name is Ryuu. Although Minxie, however, has a different name for me. To Minxie... I'm 'big brother.'"
A look of realization washed over Sasuke. "You're supposed to be dead."
"Unfortunately for you, I'm not," Ryuu said, smirking. "You see, my full name is Ryuu Takeda... And I think it's about time you and I had a little chat."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
OH. EM. GEE. THEY CAUGHT UP! RYUU AND SCARLETT CAUGHT UP TO SASUKE! There it is, the thing you've all been waiting for. Ryuu and Sasuke have met... And let's just say that Ryuu isn't exactly friendly.
Fight time? TOTALLY ;D
And, I know I'm going to hear this, so... OH, RAINBOWS. SASUKE KISSED MINXIE! WHAT IS THIS BLASPHEMY!
I know, I know, I'm a terrible person. I'm pretty sure you're all going to hate me for that scene, but before you flip out on me... I SWEAR, IT WASN'T PLANNED! Well, it sort of was... BUT IT HAD TO HAPPEN!
However, I promise you all... Please, do not freak out. MINXIE'S LOVE LIFE IS STILL NOT OVER. SHE HASN'T MARRIED SASUKE! She's still got a chance with other guys. Meaning that Minxie x Gaara, Minxie x Naruto, and Minxie x Kiba can ALL still happen. Heck, even Guy x Minxie can happen!
Okay, okay. That's sort of getting carried away. Minxie'd shoot herself before dating Guy.
Anyway, the whole point of this... DON'T HATE ME! And as for updating... UPDATES ARE COMING SOON! I just wanted to keep my promise and post this climax chapter ^.^ that most of you might hate... I'M SORRY D': !
But, anyway, WHAT IS UP!? I haven't done an author's note in years... And I'm sure this is probably my longest one, so... Yeah. I should probably leave now... TOODLES!
Love penguins, don't eat llamas, and have a great day :D ! I love you all and thank you so much for your support! You're the BEST!
-smilescutie3311 xoxoxoxo