Broken Routine
Blanket Disclaimer: This is for this chapter and however many more that follow (which I don't really know at this point): I do not own Naruto.
Summary: And then came the Routine. The Routine had only been deviated from twice. Two missions, two sides of the same kunoichi, and one Uchiha saving the day.
Chapter One
It started out as something of an instinct. But as the years passed, and the missions grew harder, the blood spilling more and more, it became a habit. A mandatory means of survival.
To run.
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All shinobi deal with their first kill in different ways. Naruto, for instance. After dealing a fatal blow to multiple enemies at once, he trained. Trained for two days straight, until finally Kakashi found him passed out, in the middle of Team Seven training grounds. It was never a problem again.
Sasuke, on the other hand, did something entirely different. For three days, he retreated inside the Uchiha Compound, without a word to anyone, not coming out until the morning of the fourth. To this day, not a single person knows what went on behind those closed doors.
To the two teammates/rivals/best friends, ending another person's life to complete a mission was automatic, no other thoughts than of the pending battle. They didn't pause to think about the wife, children, or village of an enemy shinobi, as cruel as it seemed.
Because in a fight, your life, and your teammates, comes first. An inkling of doubt, a moment's hesitation, creates an opportunity to strike. You don't get a second chance to live.
But for one Sakura Haruno, it was hard. She couldn't kill another person without wondering who would be waiting to see them next. Even after Sasuke left for Sound and Orochimaru, the hurt of a murder didn't lessen.
So, she ran. Ran to cleanse the shadow of the blood that stained her hands. Sakura would run until the invisible tether of physical exhaustion and inability to simply leave Konoha had her back through the village gates. She let herself cry for a moment of two, but stopped quickly. It was a rule. No emotion whatsoever.
Afterwards, Sakura sought out her teammates, for a meal, or training session. It was to remind herself that she wasn't actually a cold-blooded killer, but a kunoichi of Konohakagure, simply doing her job. And after a night of somewhat fitful sleep, she was back.
This was the routine after what soon became every mission. And it was still the routine after Sasuke, beaten, bruised, and triumphant, returned.
One Year Ago
She'd been fresh off another one of her sprint sessions when she felt them. Sakura was heading home, two enormous grocery bags under her arms. This, thanks to her inhuman strength, wasn't a problem. Six familiar chakra signatures were moving towards the village gates at breakneck speed. At first, she'd though nothing of it, but then the girl came to a startling realization.
Six. Six people were entering the village, presumably from a mission. And as everyone well knew, the standard number of team members was three, not including their accompanying sensei. The only group this large, or close to it, rather, was...
The groceries tumbled from Sakura's limp grasp as her train of thought came to a full and complete stop. The only team composed of five shinobi was the Uchiha Sasuke Retrieval Team. Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Chouji had departed from Konoha two years ago, only returning briefly after the first.
Progress had been made, they said. Progress in fulfilling a promise, at least in Naruto's case. Sakura could still clearly remember the day they'd left, a group of fourteen year-old ninja sent to recover one of their own. She remembered how she'd come to them, sobbing, and asked that they bring Sasuke home.
She asked Naruto the promise of this mission's completion.
And Naruto, being Naruto, promised. Swore on his nindo, his ninja way, that he would return with their missing teammate. That had been two years ago.
Now they had returned again, but this time in the company of someone who, at least to Sakura, was beautifully and terrifyingly familiar.
Sasuke.
The only survivor of the famed Uchiha Massacre. The shinobi prodigy. The boy who, at twelve, was a self-proclaimed avenger. Avenger of his family, of his clan. The one who, at fourteen, left his birthplace in search of power.
This was also the boy who, at twelve, Sakura had claimed to love. She said it at the Academy, and then again, with a different goal, two years later. She'd begged, pleaded, cried. But he had still left.
Everyone thought it was just puppy love, a childish ploy to get the Uchiha to like her. But those close to Sakura knew better. Those feelings, although suppressed somewhat, never truly faded.
And so, with a thundering heart, Sakura dashed towards the village gates, groceries all but forgotten.
Apparently, news spread fast in Konoha. By the time the village gates came into view, an enormous crowd had gathered. The buzz of gossiped conversation was alive like bees in a hive. And even though the noise was great, Naruto's ability to project was even greater.
"Sakura! Sakura!"
Even for a ninja, moving through the wall of villagers was a nearly impossible task. Finally, Sakura pulled a kunai from her holster, attached an exploding tag, and threw it above her head. The paper gave a loud bang, causing several shrieks. The kunoichi caught her falling piece of weaponry and shouted into the now still air.
"They need a medic! I don't care who you are, if you don't move right now, you'll never walk again!"
It was almost like the earth splitting in two. A path from Sakura to the team was cleared, some of the villagers looking displeased at being ordered around by a teenager. But that wasn't important. The girl rushed forward, heat pricking behind her eyes. Get a grip, she told herself. There'd be time to cry later.
All six shinobi were covered in all manner of physical injury. But it was Shikamaru who had it worst. A deep wound in his stomach seeped through his netted shirt and vest as he swayed where he stood, leaning on Neji for support. Sakura turned to the Hyuuga. "Lay him down gently for me, Neji."
The order was heeded, and she bent over the boy genius, pulling her mid-length hair out of her face with an elastic. "You know what to do, Shikamaru."
He stayed very still as she gathered green chakra in her hands and placed them over the gaping wound, concentrating. She managed to staunch the flow, and somewhat minimize the gash. Sakura wiped her brow. "You have to get to the hospital."
Shikamaru's breathing was laboured. "T-tell Ino...tell Ino I-I'm sorry."
The medic raised an eyebrow. "For what?"
"F-For...for breaking a promise."
Sakura smiled softly. "She's going to be mad, you know. Promise to be careful and come back looking like this? You're in for it now."
One by one, the girl checked over the rest of the team, until only Naruto, and the boy he supported around his neck, remained.
A rogue tear fell as she smiled weakly at the tall blonde before her. "Thank you, Naruto."
He grinned that cheeky smile of his, but his voice was serious. "You know me, Sakura-chan. I never go back on my word."
It struck Sakura how much a sixteen year-old Sasuke resembled his twelve year-old self. Same ebony spikes, same pale features, although slightly more defined. He was taller, almost the same height as his former blonde teammate.
But the most noticeable change by far was his eyes. Deep, dark, obsidian eyes that used to be swimming with malice, hate, and rage, held a certain hardness, as if Sasuke had seen things far beyond what anyone should ever have to. Sakura didn't doubt that he had.
He seemed calmer now, just barely, as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Was the curse mark no longer affecting him? Was Orochimaru...was he dead? And finally, that ever-present lust for revenge that had never seemed to fade had vanished. Which only meant one thing: Itachi was dead.
Sakura looked at Naruto for some form of confirmation. He nodded. Forcing a deep breath, the girl locked gazes with the one person who had haunted her dreams.
"Sasuke."
He seemed to twitch, just the tiniest bit, and a barely audible sigh escaped him. "Sakura."
Of their own will, her ninja senses pricked. With the same expression on her face, out came the question: "What was the last thing you said to me before you left?"
She would not let her dearest wish be snatched away by an imposter. It would hurt too much. It looked as though he'd expected this. She was standing so close (not that she'd noticed); that all Sasuke had to do was lean forward and drop his head so that his mouth grazed her ear.
"Thank you, Sakura."
His breath tickled her neck, and the girl shivered involuntarily. Sakura stepped back slightly, a change overcoming her features. She appeared almost afraid. "It's over...right?"
The boy understood the complex meaning of this question. It being "over" meant no more Orochimaru, no more Itachi, no more quests for power, no more leaving, and no more breaking her heart.
That last one he knew courtesy of Naruto, who had filled him in on the long journey back to Konohakagure. It broke her, you leaving us, he had said. She survived, but I don't think she could make it twice.
Meaning: Leave again and I'll kill you.
But Sasuke had no intentions to leave a second time. His goal as an avenger had been fulfilled, or at least half of it. That would do for now.
The Kyuubi vessel had quizzed him about their fight in the Valley of the End. That, and of his departure from the Leaf, had been the only memories unsuppressed by Kabuto's drugs. Sasuke didn't know if that had been the intention.
He nodded at the tearful Sakura, who broke into a watery smile.
"Welcome home...Sasuke-kun."
Author's Note: I'm back! Even though it's only been a few days...but whatever. I started writing this right after I finished Chapter 16 of Catch Me this summer. It was supposed to be a bit of a SasuSaku one-shot, but I've discovered I can't write a one-shot to save my life, as it ended up being about fourteen pages long. Yeah, it's weird, I know. But once I get into something...there's no stopping me.
This is my first and probably only venture into a Naruto fic actually following the true plotline. I do watch the show, and a friend of mine keeps me pretty up to date on the manga, but I still don't know everything there is to know. So, there will be mistakes. I can almost guarantee it. If it bugs you, you don't have to read. Simple as that.
I've got a lot of this written on paper and ready to go, so tell me what you think!
Always,
Annie.