本帖最后由 为月冥 于 2012-6-25 15:46 编辑
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[j]43FHMW RL1N78[/j]Chapter 5: A new job
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Sakura was lying on the couch reading a book when the door opened. She was surprised to see Sasuke already at home. She jumped up to welcome him. “Sasuke-kun, hi! Is something wrong? You are at home so early…”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N7G[/j]He courtly greeted her while slipping out of his shoes and muttered, “I just came back to pack a few things. We’ll leave this evening, I probably won’t be back for a few days.” [j]43FHMW RL1N60[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N75[/j]“What? Where are you going?”
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“I am not allowed to talk about it,” he replied. “It’s an A-ranked mission.” He pushed himself past her and entered the bedroom, where he opened his backpack and searched through his cabinet. [j]43FHMW RL1N6Z[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6L[/j]Sakura was taken by surprise. “And you stop along the way to tell me that you have to leave for a few days?”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N7C[/j]“I was only informed a few minutes ago myself,” he murmured. It was easy to tell that she was getting at his nerves.[j]43FHMW RL1N68[/j]
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“Why wasn’t I informed about this important mission! I would have come with you!,” she protested.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N5Z[/j]He stopped his packing to stare at her. “This is not child’s play, Sakura. This mission is dangerous.”
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So this was how he saw her. She hadn’t been aware that he thought so little of her. She was about to say something when her glance fell upon something in his open backpack. “What the…?” She reached for the wooden mask shaped like the face of an animal and showed it to her husband. “What does this mean?!”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N7D[/j]“What do you think?” he hissed and pulled his shirt over his head.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6F[/j]“You are a member of the ANBU???” she screamed appalled. [j]43FHMW RL1N6O[/j]
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He pulled a tight, black shirt out of the cabinet. “Yes.”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N7L[/j]She was horrified. The Anbu… she knew enough to know that this was NOT good news. “When did you plan to tell me about this?”
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“I don’t know!” he growled impatiently. “Tsunade asked me this morning if I wanted to become a member of the Anbu. Obviously they need my special abilities. Frankly, I didn’t have much time to think about it.” He slipped into the long pants jounin usually wear and sat down on the bed to tie white bandages around his ankles.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6A[/j]“And you just decide something like that without telling me?”
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He threw her a derisive glance. “What’s it to you? It’s none of your concern.” Frustrated, she bit her lower lip. He was such a bastard. When he was finished, he pulled a black mask similar to the one Kakashi always wore over his face.
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Sakura once again tried to talk some sense into him. “I know that it’s a privilege to become an Anbu, but do you know how dangerous this is? You’re right, these missions are on a whole other level than mine or even your former missions as a jounin. You might get killed.” [j]43FHMW RL1N6X[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N79[/j]“That’s the life of a ninja,” he said simply. [j]43FHMW RL1N6U[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6A[/j]Sullenly, she stared down at the mask which she still held in her hands. It was painted, showing the stylised head of a wolf. A sad smile formed itself on her lips. That fit him. Tsunade must have had a cynical moment.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N72[/j]When he was finished, he rose and approached her. “Listen, I have better things to do than discuss this with you.” He took the mask from her hands and put it back in his backpack.
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“Sasuke, I don’t want you to get hurt,” she whispered.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N5Z[/j]She expected him to ignore her words completely, but after a moment of silence he made up his mind. He pulled down the mask from his face, grabbed her shoulders and kissed her on the lips swiftly. She stared at him, surprised, and he pulled the mask back into its place. “This is what couples do, right?” he said. “You tell me to come back safely, and I kiss you good-bye and tell you not to worry.”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6C[/j]She looked away, hurt. “We’re not in public here. You don’t have to act like a loving husband. In truth you don't give a ***下载/download/otomedream/ダウンロード*** whether I worry about you or not.”
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Instead of agreeing, as she had expected him to, he untied his forehead protector and gave it to her. “Don’t worry about me.” Not bothering to wait for an answer, he turned away from her and walked over to the door to fetch his shoes. [j]43FHMW RL1N70[/j]
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She watched him and muttered sadly, “Come back safely.”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6L[/j]***[j]43FHMW RL1N6E[/j]
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Furiously, Sakura hit and kicked the exercise doll. After Sasuke had brought up all these decisions he had made without asking her and had proceeded to call her a worthless ninja, she had needed something to calm herself down, so she had come to the training hall in the ninja academy in order to train and dispell her anger somewhat.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N7B[/j]He was right, she could not keep up with him or with Naruto. But she had improved. She had passed her Chuunin exam a while ago and had declared herself as a participant in the upcoming Jounin exam. He did not have the right to call her incompetent. And he definitely didn’t have the right to become a member of the Anbu and put his life in danger. Not now that they were married. He would make her a widow, and even though he treated her this way, she would not be able to bear it if one day his team members came knocking on her door to tell her that Sasuke was dead. The thought was terrifying.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6L[/j]'YOU STUPID SASUKEEEE!!!', her inner voice screamed, while Sakura mauled the doll. [j]43FHMW RL1N6V[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6O[/j]“Sakura?” The voice surprised her and she spun around. Much to her surprise, Kakashi was standing behind her. They had no seen each other for quite some time. “Sakura, is this called training? It looks more like you want to tear the doll apart…”
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A little embarassed, she hung the doll back up straight and replied, “I just wanted to let off steam.”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N61[/j]“Haha, just wait until you teach your first pupils,” Kakashi scoffed. “I tell you, THAT is nerve-racking!”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N72[/j]“As nerve-racking as a marriage with Sasuke?” she mumbled. “I doubt that.” [j]43FHMW RL1N67[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6E[/j]“I’m sorry?”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6U[/j]“Nothing!” she called quickly. She didn’t want anyone to know about this marriage.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N7K[/j]“Sakura, you don’t need to have secrets! We’ll soon be colleagues, right?” He put a hand onto her shoulder. “So what’s bothering you? Are there any problems with Sasuke? There are some nasty rumors…” He bent down to her, his cheeks tainted in a faint red, and waited for her reply. Probably he hoped to hear intimate details about their ***下载/download/otomedream/ダウンロード*** -life. Pervert. He had no idea just how poor that ***下载/download/otomedream/ダウンロード*** -life was, too.
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“Kakashi-sensei!” she shoved his hand away. “There is nothing to tell….” Click! “Wait a minute! Colleagues? We’re going to be Colleagues? WHAT?” she asked wide-eyed. [j]43FHMW RL1N6A[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N68[/j]He nodded. “I already learned the news, although no one else knows yet. No need to act surprised. I know you’re going to start teaching at the academy in a few weeks.”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6S[/j]Her head felt dizzy. “I… will… what?!?”
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Slowly it dawned on him, that her surprise hadn’t been an act after all. “Hm? Tsunade told me… Sasuke talked to her recently, he said that you no longer wanted to work as a ninja, because there’s a chance you’ll be pregnant soon….”
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He grabbed her quickly, because otherwise she would have fainted. She lay in his arms and murmured: “He… did… WHAT??! Oh my god, I’m gonna be sick…”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N7M[/j]“Sakura?! Hello?”, Kakashi called. [j]43FHMW RL1N6G[/j]
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She tried to calm down to some extent and got back to her feet with his help. “I’m sorry, I’m okay,” she murmured. Kakashi had an unnaturally serious expression on his face and she quickly added, “I guess he wanted to surprise me. We have been talking about this but I wasn’t entirely sure… ehehe…”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6K[/j]Kakashi must have noticed her forced smile, and also that inner Sakura was about to explode. “Well, whatever the case… I’ll leave you to your training. We’ll meet some other time... Ja, byebye!” With that, he withdrew in a cloud of smoke. [j]43FHMW RL1N6R[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N76[/j]Sakura had to hold on to herself so she wouldn’t start to scream. How could Sasuke DARE to decide this behind her back? Husband or not, he had absolutely no right to do that! For the first time since the marriage, she was fuming. She was so angry, she would have loved to tear his head off.
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'So this is how it is, huh? If he joins the Anbu, it’s his business! But he secretly talks to Tsunade and make you work in the academy! He has gone too far! HOW DARE HE?! As soon as he returns, we’ll take care of this!', her inner voice rampaged.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N70[/j]With a wild cry, Sakura spun around and kicked the doll so hard that its head tore off and shot in a high arc through the hall. She was feeling a little better as she stomped out of the exercise hall.[j]43FHMW RL1N7F[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N61[/j]Chapter 6: Friends
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Amused, Sakura observed as Naruto slurped down his third bowl of ramen. When he noticed her grin and looked at her questioningly, she said, “You're eating even more than usual today. Had a hard day?”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N70[/j]He nodded enthusiastically. “Life isn’t easy as a Jounin,” he explained. “We had to escort a group of guys… every time we lost sight of them, they did something stupid. And they really were in danger… it’s a miracle that we brought them back safely…” He placed the bowl on the table and sighed contently. “Ahh… I feel better now. I didn’t have time to eat anything good while I was on that mission.”[j]43FHMW RL1N7F[/j]
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“Did you know that Sasuke is now a member of the Anbu?”, Sakura asked casually.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6I[/j]“Really?” Naruto was not as surprised as she had been. “Wow. He has come really far…” [j]43FHMW RL1N72[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6M[/j]Bitterly, she said, “It may be an honor, but I am worried about him. The anbu missions are dangerous. He left today and will be gone for a few days.”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6T[/j]“I see…” Naruto muttered. Then a wide grin appeared on his face. “Anosa, anosa! I have a great idea! Why don’t we invite a few people over to my place? I mean, we never got to celebrate your wedding! How…umm… how about tomorrow? Then you won’t have to be alone in the evening!”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N7J[/j]At first she wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea, but Naruto was already ***下载/download/otomedream/ダウンロード*** plans and counting out the people who were in Konoha at the moment. Eventually, she agreed to come. She waved him good-bye and promised she'd attend. On her way back home she pondered that maybe Naruto was right. It didn’t do her good to be alone.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N61[/j]When she arrived at Naruto’s apartment around eight, loud voices were already coming from inside. She pushed open the door and threw a shy “Hello” into the room. Naruto had invited a lot of people; she hadn’t been aware that so many of them were currently in Konoha. Sitting with him at the table were Ino, Shikamaru, Hinata, Choji and some other people Sakura had seen during the exam but didn’t remember their names. Later even Lee showed up. [j]43FHMW RL1N76[/j]
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Ino had brought along a bottle of sparkling wine and generously filled Sakura’s glass with it. “We have to celebrate your wedding, right?”, she had said, with a bit of jealousy flowing in her tone of voice. “To the happy couple! Even though the husband is missing today!”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6T[/j]Sakura grinned weakly. [j]43FHMW RL1N7N[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6G[/j]Over the evening she drank a few glasses without considering that she wasn’t used to alcohol at all. At around midnight, while the others were still sitting at the table talking to each other happily, Sakura was drunk from that sparkling wine. She had hardly eaten anything because she was still so angry at Sasuke. [j]43FHMW RL1N72[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N66[/j]Her head was dizzy, but in a pleasant way. It was great not having to think about Sasuke, and if she thought about him nevertheless, she just laughed a little. It was like freedom. She didn’t care about anhything; there was simply this wonderful dizzyness in her head.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N66[/j]Naruto noticed her condition with time and tried to make her lie down for a while in his bed. Sakura obeyed and he left her alone. For a while, she stared at the ceiling with so many thoughts running through her head. Thoughts she usually would have worried about but which only made her laugh stupidly in her current state. [j]43FHMW RL1N79[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N78[/j]When Naruto returned to check on her, she asked him, “Naruto? Do you love Hinata?”
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He was a bit taken aback by the question, but he replied, “Well, I like her a lot.”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6N[/j]She laughed at that reply and sat up. She threw her arms around his neck loosely so she wouldn’t fall over. “You know, I love Sasuke.” She giggled. “Or that’s what I thought. Do you know why he married me? To restore his clan! Isn’t that funny? He wants me to have his children, because that’s all I’m good for! I am not a good Shinobi, so why should I take the Jounin exam? Heeheehee.” She was still laughing, although she did not feel like it any more. [j]43FHMW RL1N72[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N62[/j]He tried to make her lie down, but she did not feel like sleeping. “Sakura-chan, you’re drunk. Just try to sleep.” [j]43FHMW RL1N6X[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6Y[/j]“I’m not drunk!” she protested, although she knew he was right. “I never drink.”
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“Mh. Well you sure chose the very best moment to start," he muttered.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N76[/j]She finally gave in and laid back down. He pulled the covers over her and returned to the others after ***下载/download/otomedream/ダウンロード*** sure she was feeling well enough to be left alone. As soon as he was gone though, she threw the covers off her and went over to the door and out on the balcony. Fresh night air blew into her face. She bent herself over the banister and stared down to the ground. She was three stories above the ground. She sat down on the broad wood of the banister, so that her legs were dangling above the ground. “It’s a pity that we don’t have a balcony,” she said to herself.
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“Sakura?”, she heard someone say from within the room. It was Ino. When she saw her friend sitting there, she yelled, “Are you insane? Do you want to fall over?” She grabbed Sakura by the hand and tried to drag her back onto the balcony. [j]43FHMW RL1N6F[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7K[/j]“Let go!” Sakura protested. “I’m not stupid enough to lose my balance here.”
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“If you were sober, I might believe you,” Ino murmured darkly. She didn’t let go of Sakura’s wrist, but made no further attempts to pull her off the banister.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6G[/j]A few moments of silence passed, then Sakura asked uncertainly, “Ino? Are you… are you happy with your life?”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6Q[/j]“What kind of a question is that?”, Ino scoffed. When Sakura didn’t reply, Ino inhaled deeply and said, “Well… not always of course, but mostly yes, I’m happy. I mean, I will never forgive you for stealing away Sasuke, but I think I’m okay with things the way they are. What about you? Are you happy with him?” There was only a slight hint of jealousy to her voice. Maybe she had indeed forgiven Sakura.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6P[/j]“Of course," she lied. After a moment of silence though, she said, “Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night screaming. Then he is like a completely different person. When he looks at me with those eyes, it scares me deeply.” She looked down at the black pavement several meters below her. “Sometimes I wonder…” Ino looked at her expectantly, but she decided not to finish the sentence. “Do you think he would cry for me, if I fall down from here and break my neck?”
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“What are you saying, Sakura??”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N74[/j]“Nothing, Ino," she replied tiredly. “It was just a joke.” She turned over and jumped back onto the balcony clumsily. “I guess I should go home. Thank you all for the ***下载/download/otomedream/ダウンロード*** .” She left the bedroom and passed the others with a polite goodbye. Naruto and Lee offered to escort her home, but she declined. Naruto’s place wasn’t far from home anyway. She muttered another goodbye and left Naruto's apartment.
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When she arrived home, she locked the door from the inside and tripped over the first step at the entrance. She didn’t bother to get back up, instead curling up into a ball and falling asleep exhaustedly on the living room floor.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6L[/j]Chapter 7: Confrontation[j]43FHMW RL1N6L[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7C[/j]“Sakura.”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N71[/j]She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a bandage-wrapped ankle. “Hmm?” She rubbed her eyes tiredly. Sleepily, she raised her head to look at who had woken her up. “Oh… Sasuke…” she mumbled.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N7F[/j]He stared down at her blankly. “Is it comfortable sleeping on the floor?”, he asked, his voice leaving no doubt that his question was meant neither jokingly nor tauntingly. [j]43FHMW RL1N6H[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N74[/j]She sat up and rubbed her buzzing head. “Yesterday I was just so tired, I guess I fell asleep right here…” she said quickly, but he did not seem interested in her explanations. She stood up, trying to ignore her headache. “It’s great that you’re back so soon, Sasuke. How was your first mission as an Anbu?”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N5Z[/j]Actually, one glance at him had been sufficient explanation. He didn’t have a scratch on him, and his clothes were even clean. He briefly replied anyway, though. “Successful.”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6K[/j]Sakura sighed inwardly. How she hated it when he was like this. She stole a glance out the window, guessing from the position of the sun that it was around noon. “Uh, do you already know when you’ll have to leave for your next mission?”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6D[/j]Instead of a reply, he just shook his head no. Something caught his attention then, and he wrinkled his nose. “Have you been drinking?”, he asked disgustedly. [j]43FHMW RL1N7H[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7K[/j]“Oh.” She lowered her head immediately. “We were celebrating a little and I underestimated the effect of alcohol, I guess.”
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“Hn.” He brushed past her and entered the bedroom.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6L[/j]She remembered why she had been so depressed the day before and followed him. “Sasuke, wait a second. I have to talk to you.”
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“Not now. I’m trying to get some rest, okay?” He removed the bulk of his equipment and uniform and sank on the bed with an exhausted sigh.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N66[/j]“This is important!”, she protested angrily. “I found out that you were talking to Tsunade about me!” Even this didn’t bring any change to his ever-stoic face. “Did you tell her to transfer me to the Academy?”
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“Yes.”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6H[/j]Sakura had a hard time trying to keep her composure. “What on earth were you thinking? How dare you to decide such an important thing without talking to me?!” [j]43FHMW RL1N73[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6L[/j]He loosened the bandages around his ankles and replied calmly, “Can’t you guess why? If everything goes as planned, you will soon be pregnant.” He looked her in the eyes. “Do you think I’ll let you work as a ninja while you’re pregnant with an Uchiha heir?”
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His calmness made her even angrier. “And what about my feelings? Don’t I have the right to make my own decisions?”
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“Were you planning to go on missions with a large belly?”, he asked dryly. “Maybe acting as a bodyguard? Well into pregnancy? I bet our clients would be exhilarated.” His biting sarcasm was almost unbearable. “You are my wife now and I have to make sure that you’re safe.” [j]43FHMW RL1N62[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7G[/j]“I… I understand that!”, she yelled. “But the point is that you cannot decide this without asking me first! I’m not your property, Sasuke! I have my own will and if you dare to make decisions for me again, then…”
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“Then what?” His eyes stared at her dangerously.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N75[/j]Angry tears filled her eyes. She couldn’t hold back any longer. She moved to slap him, but he caught her wrist easily. The worst part about it was the smirk on his lips. “BASTARD!!”, she cried hysterically, tearing her arm from his grip. Before he could make another stinging remark, she stormed out of the door and left the apartment.[j]43FHMW RL1N61[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7L[/j]Sakura ran down the stairs and stormed out of the building, angry tears streaming down her cheek because there was nothing she could do but cry. She was so absorbed in her anger that she wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings and promptly ran into a person who had been about to enter the building.
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The impact threw her off balance and she fell backwards, but someone caught her by the upper arms before she could hit the ground. “Now, now, Sakura, are we in a bit of a rush today?”, she heard a teasing voice say as she opened her eyes.
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“Kakashi-sensei…” she muttered, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes so he wouldn’t see her crying. “I wasn’t paying attention, I’m sorry.”
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“You look troubled, what’s wrong?”
[j]43FHMW RL1N6N[/j][j]43FHMW RL1N7J[/j]
She stared at him hesitantly. Judging by the sparkle in his eye, Sakura could be pretty sure he was smiling beneath that mask. Kakashi was an excellent teacher and an outstanding fighter, but she had never seen him as the type you could talk to about your problems. He didn’t seem so very trustworthy with his trademark copy of Icha Icha Paradise.
[j]43FHMW RL1N7I[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N75[/j]He seemed to guess her thoughts and assured her, “You can trust me, I won’t tell anyone. Did you quarrel with Sasuke?” She just nodded in response. “Do you want to tell me about it?” She shook her head no. “Do you want me to bring you back upstairs so you can talk to him?” Once again she shook her head no.
[j]43FHMW RL1N6P[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7M[/j]Kakashi sighed. “You women are really difficult. Well, come with me then, you can’t walk around like this.” Sakura just then realized that she hadn’t changed her clothes nor taken a shower since yesterday. She was positive that she was looking hideous right now. Of course, she didn’t know that Kakashi was only referring to her reddened, puffy eyes. [j]43FHMW RL1N6R[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6L[/j]In any case she nodded and followed Kakashi to his apartment. [j]43FHMW RL1N7D[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7D[/j]***[j]43FHMW RL1N6P[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6O[/j]The apartment looked completely different from what she had expected. Somehow she had been sure that Kakashi would surround himself with Ninja equipment or obscene posters from Icha Icha Paradise. His living room was actually pretty normal though. From what she could see, one would not even know that a powerful Ninja was living there. She didn’t even see a single kunai anywhere. [j]43FHMW RL1N79[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N61[/j]He disappeared into the kitchen for a moment and brought her a glass of water before taking a seat on the couch next to her. “What happened?”
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At first she didn’t want to talk to him, but she desperately needed someone to talk to. So she slowly started, “This thing about me getting transferred to the academy… I didn’t know anything about it. Sasuke decided it without asking me at all.”
[j]43FHMW RL1N63[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6G[/j]She waited for Kakashi to defend Sasuke, but instead he sighed. “I thought so.” He seemed unnaturally serious; his stern expression did not suit him. “Sakura, may I give you some good intentioned advice?”
[j]43FHMW RL1N64[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6S[/j]“Uh… yeah… sure..” she stammered. She wasn’t sure why he was so serious all of a sudden.
[j]43FHMW RL1N75[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N77[/j]“You should break up with Sasuke as soon as possible.”
[j]43FHMW RL1N6J[/j][j]43FHMW RL1N7K[/j]
Chapter 8: Sasuke’s wounds
[j]43FHMW RL1N6I[/j][j]43FHMW RL1N7C[/j]
“You should break up with Sasuke as soon as possible.”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6E[/j]Sakura could not believe her ears. “What?”, she cried out. “Sensei, how can you say something like that?”
[j]43FHMW RL1N6W[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N75[/j]“It’s not a joke, Sakura. I really like Sasuke, but at the moment I’m more worried about you. He is not good for you.”
[j]43FHMW RL1N6A[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N61[/j]She couldn’t find anything to say; his strange advice had been too surprising. “I don’t understand…”
[j]43FHMW RL1N6D[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6X[/j]“I am not stupid, Sakura. You haven’t been together with him for long, but you have already changed. I have been talking to Ino, Naruto and a few others.”
[j]43FHMW RL1N64[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6S[/j]That was quite unexpected too. Kakashi wasn’t the type to worry about others. In any case, she could imagine what Ino had told him. “Sensei, what I said to Ino that night was just a joke…”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N72[/j]He ignored her completely. “Don’t try to fool me. I have been watching you and Sasuke isn’t good for you. I wasn’t planning on judging him so quickly, but now I think it’s best if you get out of this as fast as possible. Promise or not, you should leave him.”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6G[/j]“You know about that?”, she muttered.
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“He told me. He doesn’t care how you feel about this. Sasuke thinks only about himself. If you want to make yourself unhappy, that’s your business, but it will end in tragedy if you two keep going like this. Just as it did with Sasuke’s family.” She wanted to hear more about this, but he kept talking. “I should have warned you from the beginning, but I honestly thought you could help him.”
[j]43FHMW RL1N68[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N76[/j]“Help him? What are you talking about?” [j]43FHMW RL1N6Z[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7E[/j]His gaze darkened. “Sasuke has changed. He must have been hurt deeply. He didn’t want to tell us what happened during his fight against Itachi, but there is no doubt that something important DID happen. Itachi must have said or done something, but we can only guess. When he asked you to be his wife, I thought maybe he was starting to recover. I thought you could maybe help him leave all of it behind and forget his past once and for all.”
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She would have liked to disagree, but he was right. She had noticed too how Sasuke had changed after the battle. And she had not been able to change anything about that. [j]43FHMW RL1N6W[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N62[/j]
“Maybe it’s too late for Sasuke. It isn’t too late for you, though. If you stay with him, he will destroy you and you’ll become as cold as him. If you wait too long, you might already have a child and then it’ll be too late to leave him. Please, end it now that you’re still able to.” [j]43FHMW RL1N7M[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7C[/j]It was hard to hear all of this. What Kakashi said made sense, but there were things that held her back. Her promise, for one, but also the old love that still attached her to Sasuke. And her wish to help him.
[j]43FHMW RL1N6X[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6F[/j]Kakashi seemed to understand that. “Just think about it, okay?” [j]43FHMW RL1N69[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6V[/j]All of a sudden, she felt queasy. To hear this kind of advice from Kakashi was disturbing. “Why are you doing this?”, she asked. [j]43FHMW RL1N7K[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6X[/j]He leaned forward and kissed her forehead – through his mask. “Because I am worried about you, Sakura-chan.”
[j]43FHMW RL1N70[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N73[/j]Sakura blushed deeply and stammered, “I’ll… go for a walk, and maybe I’ll head back home when Sasuke isn’t there… T-Thanks for your help..” She offered him a weak smile and practically fled from him.
[j]43FHMW RL1N6I[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7D[/j]When she was gone, Kakashi chuckled softly. “Cute.” His expression changed. “Far too cute for someone like Sasuke.“
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***
[j]43FHMW RL1N7A[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7N[/j]Even though she knew better, Sakura returned home. She had hoped that he would have been gone already, but he was lying in bed trying to get some sleep. Well, he wasn’t going to sleep right now… first she had to talk to him. Kakashi was right; they couldn’t go on like that. She positioned herself in front of the bed and said loudly, “Sasuke. We are not done yet.”
[j]43FHMW RL1N7H[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N75[/j]He opened his eyes to glare at her. “What do you want?”, he muttered and sat up.
[j]43FHMW RL1N6P[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7A[/j]“I want you to listen to me.” she replied angrily. He said nothing, but offered her an expectant stare. “Sasuke, we can’t go on like this. Promise or not, I won’t let you interfere with my life like that again.”
[j]43FHMW RL1N6Z[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6A[/j]He lifted an eyebrow and replied cynically, “We’re married, right? It’s our life now. I just wanted to protect you.”
[j]43FHMW RL1N6V[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6D[/j]“Yeah, right!”, she yelled. “There is no us and you know that. You don’t give a ***下载/download/otomedream/ダウンロード*** about me. You didn’t ask me first when you became an Anbu. I’ll say it once more: I won’t let you do something like that again. Next time I will…”
[j]43FHMW RL1N6Q[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7N[/j]He tilted his head sideways and asked jeeringly, “You will what?” His arrogance made her even angrier. Inner Sakura was already rampaging.
[j]43FHMW RL1N72[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6N[/j]“Next time I will break up with you, do you get that?“, she yelled at him.
[j]43FHMW RL1N61[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N73[/j]She had expected his usual reaction, but he got up from his bed and positioned himself in front of her, staring dangerously into her eyes. Suddenly she felt very small compared to him. “Save your threats,” he hissed. “ If you wanted to get divorced, you would have done so a long time ago.“
[j]43FHMW RL1N6K[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7H[/j]Her inner voice screamed, ‘That’s it! DON’T PUT UP WITH THIS!’
[j]43FHMW RL1N79[/j][j]43FHMW RL1N6P[/j]
She swallowed the queasy feeling and stared back at him. “You listen to me now!” she spat, pressing her index finger against his chest. “I am not your property and I demand to be treated with respect.” It was probably only surprise that made him take a step backwards. She closed the distance between them again and bore her finger into his chest, emphasizing every word. “And for as long as you do not treat me like your wife in EVERY aspect, you will never do something like that again, or I will put in for a divorce that very same day and you may as well marry Ino and have lots of arrogant little Uchiha brats with her!!!!” She had screamed that last part at the top of her lungs. [j]43FHMW RL1N76[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7G[/j]The look of surprise quickly faded from his features and he slapped her hand away. “I won’t let you blackmail me, do you understand?”, he said in a dangerously low tone, ***下载/download/otomedream/ダウンロード*** it Sakura’s turn to take a step back. “You knew what you were dealing with. If you have a problem with the way things are, then go back to your parents, but don’t bother me with your ridiculous problems! You’re even stupider than I thought if you really think I am dependent on you in any way.”
[j]43FHMW RL1N68[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6Q[/j]That was the last straw. Sakura hissed a not so lady-like curse word at him which came directly from her inner voice as she aimed a punch at him. He caught her before she could hit him, just like last time, but this time she didn’t make the mistake of being surprised by that. Instead she raised her knee, targeting his groin… but he was too fast for that too and blocked her knee with his free hand. He then let go of her abruptly and disappeared from her view only to reappear kneeling in front of her, where he spun around and hit her legs with his.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6N[/j]Sakura fell to the ground, but she wasn’t willing to give up yet. “Asshole!”, she cried as she attempted to get up. He pressed her to the ground though, and within an instant he was straddling her hips, pressing her wrists to the ground. “Let go!”, she yelled, writhing beneath him, but he only shook his head disapprovingly. She had to accept that it was useless and so she eventually gave up. [j]43FHMW RL1N7B[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7G[/j]Silence filled the room and the only thing that could be heard was their rapid, heavy breathing. Sakura had outdone herself because she had put so much power into her blows, but at least Sasuke was worn out too. The reason might be that he had just returned from an exhausting mission, but still it was a small triumph for her to see that there was a limit to his strength too. [j]43FHMW RL1N6A[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6Z[/j]“Have you calmed down?”, he asked coolly and she grimaced. “Okay, then listen to me. I will not decide things that are none of my business from now on, but in exchange you won’t interfere with my affairs either.” She didn’t reply. “I won’t let you blackmail me. If you want to leave me, okay, I won’t stop you. I never forced you into anything, remember? But I appreciate that you kept your promise.”
[j]43FHMW RL1N6Y[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6M[/j]“Liar,” she muttered sadly. Her anger was gone and there was only a depressing sadness left. She meant nothing to him; he was ready to replace her with someone else if she ever left him. “Please, let go,” she whispered.
[j]43FHMW RL1N7N[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N66[/j]But he didn’t. Instead he asked, “What do you expect from me, Sakura? You knew from the start what you were dealing with. I can’t and won’t ever feel anything for you.” [j]43FHMW RL1N6B[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6W[/j]“Why did you ask me of all people?”, she asked. “Why not Ino or any other fangirl? Is it because I was the only one who was stupid enough to save herself for you?” [j]43FHMW RL1N6L[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6D[/j]His brows furrowed. Sakura snorted. Didn’t he know that? Ino had turned to Shikamaru at the age of 16 and they were still in a weird kind of a relationship which seemed to end every few months just so they could make up and get back together again. The other Sasuke fangirls had all eventually found a nice boyfriend to return their feelings. Of course, Sasuke was still the most famous boy of the entire village, but his fangirls had grown up and given up on him eventually. Only Sakura hadn’t managed to let go of her naïve crush on him after all this time. She had always saved herself for him, hoping that he would eventually change and return her feelings. At this moment Sakura realized that she probably wasn’t as clever as she had always thought.
[j]43FHMW RL1N6S[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N68[/j]“I’m such an idiot,” she said, more to herself than to him. “I should have gone out at least once with Lee-san, or with Naruto. Then maybe I would know how it feels to be with a man who really likes me.”
[j]43FHMW RL1N7N[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N70[/j]Sasuke ignored that, instead saying, “I asked you because you believed in me. Because you were there for me when everyone was gone. That’s why.”
[j]43FHMW RL1N6L[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6Z[/j]“In other words, because I’m stupid, right? Because you knew I couldn’t refuse any request from you. Now let me go, please.” This time he complied and stood up silently. Sakura sat up and rubbed her sore wrists. She felt tired. She had lost control of the situation long ago and didn’t know how to deal with it in its current state. [j]43FHMW RL1N79[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6Y[/j]To her relief, Sasuke announced that he was going to train for a while. He left the house and she felt strangely reliefed. So they had already reached a state where she was glad whenever he left. Sakura stood up and walked over to the kitchen. She hadn’t eaten in about 24 hours. She opened the fridge but didn’t feel very hungry; when she was in a bad mood, she could never eat anything. She was about to close the refrigerator, when her gaze fell upon a bottle of wine. Sasuke had brought it a while ago, and she guessed that it had probably been a present or something. He never drank any alcohol, so the bottle was still untouched.
[j]43FHMW RL1N7A[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N79[/j]Sakura remembered the way she had felt after drinking too much at Naruto’s ***下载/download/otomedream/ダウンロード*** . For a while, her problems and sorrows had been so far away and, regardless of the headache afterwards, that feeling had been great. She picked up the bottle and took a sip. It didn’t taste so very good, but if it promised to make her forget about her worries for a while… [j]43FHMW RL1N63[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7G[/j]She drank some more. Disgusting. Yet she took another gulp.
[j]43FHMW RL1N76[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7B[/j]When Sasuke returned home in the evening, the bottle was empty. And Sakura was drunk.
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Upon entering the room Sasuke seemed to notice something. He wrinkled his nose. As Sakura shakily stood up and wished him a wonderful evening, though, he knew what was going on. “You’re drunk,” he said with no emotion in his voice.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6T[/j]With a huge grin plastered on her face she draped her arms around his neck. “Yes I am, Sasuke-kun. How was your daaay?” [j]43FHMW RL1N78[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N77[/j]
He pushed her away. “Am I going to find you sleeping on the doorstep again tomorrow?”, he asked, slipping out of his shoes. “Sakura, let go.” [j]43FHMW RL1N7M[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N68[/j]For no apparent reason, she started to laugh, just because she felt like it, and Sasuke disappeared into the kitchen to make himself something ***下载/download/otomedream/ダウンロード*** to eat. Meanwhile Sakura spent her time on their bed, trying to find a comfortable position and mumbling incoherently to herself. It was almost funny. She was dead drunk and even that hadn’t changed the stoic expression on his face. Maybe nothing could ever shock or anger him.
[j]43FHMW RL1N7K[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6O[/j]When she got tired of waiting she hopped over to the bathroom and tried to even out her hair with clumsy fingers. Then she completely undressed herself, took a last glance at her grinning self in the mirror and returned to the bedroom.
[j]43FHMW RL1N66[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N74[/j]Sasuke was already seated on the bed undressing himself. When she entered the room, stark naked, he actually seemed surprised for a moment. Then his face darkened and he asked “What the hell are you up to?”
[j]43FHMW RL1N78[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7N[/j]Something within her screamed. Maybe it was her inner voice. But her head felt dizzy, everything was so easy, so untroubled… She went over to the bed and sat down on his lap. “What’s the matter, Sasuke-kun? This is how you wanted me, isn’t it? You want to make some kids, and, well, you can’t if you don’t sleep with me, right? I’m not pregnant yet. We should push ahead.” He turned his head away almost disgustedly when she tried to kiss him. “What’s with your plans, Sasuke-kun?” she taunted. “You wanted to restore the Uchiha clan, didn’t you?” She didn’t even know herself why she was provoking him like that. Something warned her that she was going too far, but she ignored it.
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He stared at her and said, “You’re right.” [j]43FHMW RL1N7J[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6F[/j]All of a sudden she found herself lying backwards on her bed, her arms pressed into the cushion over her head. His eyes stared at her coolly. His hand grabbed her left breast while he was still holding her in place with his other hand.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N7N[/j]Sakura had accomplished what she had wanted, but now she didn’t feel so good any more. In a single second her mood turned over and rested heavily on her heart. “Sasuke, let go,” she whimpered, “I don’t want this.”
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“You have to make up your mind,” he murmured into her ear. It was obvious from the tone of his voice that he was now trying to provoke her just like she had provoked him. His hand reached down between her legs and she emitted a startled scream.
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“Sasuke, stop it! I don’t want this!”, she cried. Her voice sounded weak and shaky. He didn’t stop. And Sakura gave up protesting. She didn’t resist when he let go of her wrists eventually, instead she lay there impassively and stared out of the window. The stars were beautiful tonight. [j]43FHMW RL1N7N[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6C[/j]While he nudged her legs apart, she tried to find a reason why she loved Sasuke for every star out there. His eyes; his black hair; his strength; his loyalty; his coolness; his kindness, hidden under all the hatred; his friendship; the scared kid he is.
[j]43FHMW RL1N62[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7F[/j]When she tore her gaze away from the stars to look at him, to look at the way he was laying on top of her, sleeping with her without looking into her eyes, she noticed that his eyes were still beautiful. And that he was still handsome. But everything else she had loved about him was gone. She could no longer look at his handsome face without thinking of all the pain he had caused her. Her gaze travelled back to the window where the stars were still sparkling. Slowly, she realized that she had started to hate Sasuke.
[j]43FHMW RL1N6Y[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N73[/j]Chapter 9: Endless
[j]43FHMW RL1N6M[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N67[/j]Weeks passed by without any change. Sakura had accepted her fate and started teaching at the academy without further protest. Usually in the mornings she was now away with her pupils or teaching the youngest in class. Sasuke was at home irregularly, he was called out on missions unpredictably, sometimes he’d be at home for days and then he’d be sent away right after returning home.
[j]43FHMW RL1N7K[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6R[/j]Sakura had given up trying to get close to her husband or talking to him. He was as distant as ever, always keeping her at a certain distance. When he was home at night and sleeping with her, she always let it happen passively, but she just wouldn’t get pregnant. Sasuke awaited her pregnancy impatiently, but Sakura wasn’t so sure if she wanted to bring a child into this loveless marriage.
[j]43FHMW RL1N6B[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6H[/j]Every now and then she met up with Naruto or Ino, but she refused to talk about what was happening at home and her friends were rather helpless. Sometimes someone would tell her how bad she looked, she had lost weight because she couldn’t eat properly any more and even though Sasuke disapproved of it she would get drunk every now and then, just to get away from her problems for a while.
[j]43FHMW RL1N6F[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7N[/j]Even though she could not tell anyone, she was heartbroken.
[j]43FHMW RL1N6A[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N70[/j]***
[j]43FHMW RL1N7I[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N66[/j]Sasuke got up from their bed and picked up his pants to get dressed. He turned around and watched Sakura pull the blanket over her thin body and bury herself beneath it. She had changed, even he could see that. Today, as always, she had just let him do as he pleased and had submitted to his advances like a lifeless puppet. However, at least she wasn’t drunk today.
[j]43FHMW RL1N6G[/j][j]43FHMW RL1N6Q[/j]
He went to the bathroom and splashed his face with cold water. When his gaze fell upon the mirror, he froze. Hatefully he stared at himself. He knew what he did was wrong. The heart of this girl was breaking and he just accepted it. Just because she had given him a promise years ago. It wasn’t fair. She longed for his love but all he gave her was rejection.
[j]43FHMW RL1N63[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7E[/j]He was using her. Sasuke had noticed the look in her eyes when he had slept with her today. But he needed an heir, or he’d never find peace. Itachi’s death hadn’t brought him peace of mind, but the restoration of the clan would, no, it had to. Even if he had to use Sakura for that, he would fulfill his dream. [j]43FHMW RL1N79[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N7N[/j]Much to his surprise, she was already asleep when he came back to the bedroom. Usually she would lie awake and fall asleep long after him. He hesitated for a moment, then he sat down beside her. She must have been very exhausted. She was lying on her side, her hair covering her face wildly. Her mouth was open slightly, her hand was placed on the cushion. For the first time he really noticed how beautiful she was, despite the changes she had been through. She had gotten a lot thinner and always seemed exhausted. How long had it been since he’d seen her smile? [j]43FHMW RL1N70[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6Z[/j]Sasuke lifted the blanket to lie back down next to her, but she turned around in her sleep until she was lying on her back. He let go of the blanket and just watched her. Watched how her chest would heave regularly, and he felt like he would stay like this and watch her sleeping forever. He realized that he was the only one responsible for her current state. He should have been protecting her. Maybe... maybe it was indeed better if she left him.
[j]43FHMW RL1N6L[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6D[/j]***[j]43FHMW RL1N6U[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N60[/j]Insecurely, Sakura walked over to the window. She had felt bad for the entire day, she hadn’t been able to eat a single bite. She’d only been drinking one glass of sake, but still her head was dizzy. She felt sick. Sasuke was at home, preparing himself for another mission and getting his things packed. She had planned to act normal until he left but she felt too sick and too tired to act sober right now. [j]43FHMW RL1N5Z[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N65[/j]
To fight down the nausea, she opened the window and leaned out to inhale some fresh air. It didn’t help much but she sat down on the window sill anyway, holding on to the windowframe with one hand. [j]43FHMW RL1N68[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6Z[/j]„In your state you’ll fall out of the window,“ Sasuke said calmly and she turned her head to look at him. There was no worry in his voice. He was holding his backpack in one hand and stared at her, awaiting an answer. Today he was wearing the regular anbu uniform.
[j]43FHMW RL1N73[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N78[/j]Hoarsely, she retorted: „Why do you mind? You wouldn’t even care if I was lying dead down there on the street.“
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6N[/j]„You’re annoying, Sakura,“ he replied darkly. These words hit a vulnerable spot. He had said it twice and today it hurt just as much as it had back then, maybe even more.
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„Why did you marry me?“, she yelled. „If I annoy you so much, why did you ask me to be your wife? You can’t bring kids into this marriage! Don’t you have a conscience?“ [j]43FHMW RL1N70[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6Q[/j]He threw her an indifferent glance and sat down on the steps to get his shoes. „Sasuke! WAIT!“ Sasuke didn’t plan to let him go like that, not without getting an answer first. She jumped off the window sill and when her feet touched the ground her ankle twisted and she fell face-down to the ground. Tears filled her eyes. Why did everything go wrong in her life? Her ankle hurt, a lot. She wanted to stand up when Sasuke was suddenly standing in front of her. It was too much for her. She didn’t want him to see her like that. She was drunk and miserable, she couldn’t even get up on her own. [j]43FHMW RL1N7J[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6W[/j]„Sasuke...,“ she sobbed and grabbed the fabric of his black pants. Tears were streaming down her face when she looked up to him. „Help me...“ She didn’t just want him to help her get up. She was asking him for help, to find out of this misery. Basically, she just wanted to feel the warmth of his hand and maybe be embraced by him just once. [j]43FHMW RL1N67[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6N[/j]He stared down on her, with nothing but coldness in his eyes. And then he said: „Pathetic.“ Her eyes widened. Something inside of her broke at that moment. Sasuke tore his pants from her grasp and left her there like that. She heard the door slam shut and then he was gone. Sakura wrapped her arms around herself, curled up and cried silently.
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This was the worst moment of her life. She had humiliated herself in front of Sasuke and he had rejected her mercilessly. Finally, it was too much for her to bear. „I can’t take it any more...,“ she whimpered. For what seemed like an eternity she just lay there on the floor and felt just like what he had called her... pathetic.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N72[/j]Then she heard the door open and someone gently cradled her into his arms. „Sasuke?“, she whispered, although she already knew it couldn’t be him. [j]43FHMW RL1N7K[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6P[/j]„No, it’s me,“ came Kakashi’s reply. „Sakura, you can’t go on like this. I’ll get you away from here so you can recover.“ She wanted to protest but found herself too exhausted to do so. For the first time in weeks she felt the warmth of another person, someone who cared for her. She placed her head against his chest and closed her eyes.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N67[/j]She felt dizzy when he lifted her up and started to walk, but she didn’t say a word. Like a child, Kakashi carried her in his arms and after a while she was placed on a cozy bed. „Try to sleep. We’ll talk about it tomorrow,“ he said and she just did as she was told. Exhaustedly she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N69[/j]Chapter 10: Truth[j]43FHMW RL1N5Z[/j]
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The sun was again – or still – shining high above in the sky when Sakura woke up in an unfamiliar room. She was still wearing her pajamas which she’d been wearing yesterday. Her left ankle hurt when she got up from the bed, but her headache was even worse. She opened the door and was greeted with a cheerful: „Good morning, Sakura-chan! You slept like forever!“ [j]43FHMW RL1N68[/j]
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„Kakashi-sensei...“
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[j]43FHMW RL1N71[/j]„Don’t call me that. I’m not your teacher any more. Just call me Kakashi,“ he scolded her with a smile beneath his mask. But she didn’t have the nerve to discuss that. Her gaze fell upon the couch where she saw a blanket and a pillow. So he had left the bed to her and slept on the couch. She smiled slightly. How nice of him...
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6A[/j]She sat down on a chair and he brought her a glass of water. It helped somewhat against her headache and the awful sickness. He took a seat opposite of her and said nothing. Sakura felt uncomfortable all of a sudden. He had seen her in such an embarassing, pitiful state. „I’m sorry...,“ she muttered.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N7L[/j]„For what?“
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„I must’ve looked quite pathetic yesterday,“ she explained depressedly. „I was really relieved that you were there. Oh... why were you there anyway?“
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„Actually I wanted to talk to Sasuke about some mission. He came out of the house and told me to take a look at you.“ Once again he looked unnaturally serious. „Sakura, do you finally realize that I was right? You have to leave him. He will destroy you.“ [j]43FHMW RL1N78[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6S[/j]She shook her head, but she couldn’t bring herself to say something. She wanted to disagree with his words, but she couldn’t. Because he was right. She was already at the verge of hating Sasuke.
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Kakashi sighed and got up. „Come with me.“
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6X[/j]Sakura stared at him. „What?“ [j]43FHMW RL1N67[/j]
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„Just follow me. I want to show you something.“ Obediantly she followed him and he led her to the bathroom. There he grabbed her shoulders and placed her in front of a mirror. Sakura could not look at herself. She looked awful. Kakashi said seriously: „Look at yourself, Sakura. You used to be so pretty. Your smile was so beautiful. What happened to that smile? You’re too thin, your eyes are always red from crying and your skin is pale. Is that what you want?“ He was right, every word was true. She hated herself. Especially that bitter look on her face that reminded her all too much of Sasuke. „Do you remember how you told me that you liked yourself when you were with him? Is that still true, Sakura? Do you still like yourself, the way you became?“
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6D[/j]Quickly she shook her head no. „No! I hate that person in the mirror. And I hate... him. What he became.“
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6R[/j]„Then why are you still doing this to yourself?“
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[j]43FHMW RL1N7G[/j]„I loved him. And a part of that love has remained in my heart. I cannot leave him,“ she said honestly. „I promised to help him. He has always fought for me. And now I fight for him. For his dreams.“
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„He will never be happy. As long as he can’t let go of the past, even a family, a new Uchiha clan, cannot help him. Don’t you understand that?“, Kakashi insisted. „If Naruto were here, he’d say the same. Before he left he told me to take care of you.“
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6G[/j]That explained why Kakashi was acting so weird lately. Sakura nodded. „I’m not sure myself what I’m going to do. I don’t want to go to my parents. Would it be a problem if I stayed here for a while? Just until I feel better and able to make a decision.“ [j]43FHMW RL1N6A[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N6J[/j]„Of course not. Stay as long as you want to.“
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[j]43FHMW RL1N5Z[/j]***
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Sakura didn’t regret her decision to stay with Kakashi. Not having to see Sasuke and suffer from his cold eyes did her good. Most of the time Kakashi wasn’t at home, but when he was, he talked to her, it was like he really cared about what she had to say. At least he didn’t look right through her, like her own husband did.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6X[/j]There was no alcohol in the household. At first she was tempted to go out and buy some, but then she remembered why she was at this place. She didn’t want to end like that again. She never wanted to let Sasuke humiliated her again. She vowed to never touch any alcohol again. No matter how painful it was, she had to go on without it.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6V[/j]After some days she even resumed eating. Living with Kakashi was so relaxing that her stomach calmed down and she gained some weight. In the meantime, Naruto had returned to the village and offered her to stay with him, which she had denied thankfully. He also told her how much better she looked and that he’d been worried about her. It felt good. It felt so good to be seen by someone, to have someone who cared.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6Z[/j]Of course she couldn’t stay with Kakashi forever. And she couldn’t stay with Naruto either, his apartment was even smaller. Under no circumstances she wanted to go to her parents. And going back home, back to Sasuke… that was a different topic. Sasuke didn’t show up during the first few days. It wasn’t like he wasn’t there… he had returned from his mission after two days. But he didn’t seem to care. Sakura was glad that she didn’t have to see him. But it was also hurtful that he didn’t miss her or try to get her back.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6X[/j]Then, eight days after Kakashi had pulled her out of her misery, Sasuke was standing in front of Kakashi’s door in the evening. Kakashi opened up and when Sakura heard her husband’s voice, she froze in place, hiding in the kitchen before he could see her. She tried to stay calm and listened to the two men talking.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N7A[/j]“I know she’s here,” Sasuke said impatiently. “I want to talk to her!”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N7E[/j]“Yeah but Sakura doesn’t want to talk to you,” Kakashi replied and Sakura could vividly imagine his arrogant grin beneath the mask. Hopefully it made Sasuke really angry. He should get a taste of his own medicine.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6F[/j]“Save it, Kakashi,” Sasuke growled. “I want to talk to my wife, so get out of my way or bring her here.” [j]43FHMW RL1N6B[/j]
[j]43FHMW RL1N72[/j]Sakura was still standing motionlessly in the kitchen, unsure of what to do. On one hand she wanted to hear him out. But on the other hand she was also scared to face him once again. If she liked to admit it or not, Sasuke still had great influence on her. While she was still thinking of what to do, she heard Kakashi say: “You should leave Sakura alone for a while.”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N7C[/j]“Keep your advices for yourself, old man,” Sasuke hissed. Then he obviously gave messing with Kakashi a second thought and he barked: “Then tell my wife to ***下载/download/otomedream/ダウンロード*** ing let me know when I’m allowed to bother her again.” Sakura could imagine him spinning around wordlessly and marching away. As if to verify her theory, Kakashi closed the door. Sasuke was gone.
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[j]43FHMW RL1N7E[/j]And now Sakura ran out of the kitchen into the living room. She should have come out and talked to Sasuke. “Sasuke!”, she called out half-heartedly and ran over to the window. All she saw was how he disappeared behind the corner. It was raining outside. Most likely he was already soaking wet. Kakashi approached her and she asked concernedly: “Did I do the right thing? I should have talked to him.”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6O[/j]“If he wants to talk to you he can come to the academy too,” Kakashi shrugged. “Although I guess his pride will keep him from that.”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6P[/j]“True,” she murmured and placed her fingertips on the cool windowglass. “It must have cost him a lot to come here.” She leaned her head against the window. “I don’t understand myself any more. I despise him but at the same time I think I still love him… what should I do?”
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[j]43FHMW RL1N6V[/j]…tbc…
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