Tomorrow Blossom (Sasuke Uchiha) - Book One - Trade Mistakes

Chapter Twenty-six: She Had The World

"Mmnh..."

Awareness slowly dawned on me as my brain woke from the mushiness of sleep, but I was too warm to want to move. I realised that I was in a position of being awkwardly spooned by the one and only shady Uchiha, but it was comfortable, warm, and kind of sweet to feel his gentle breathing on the back of my neck. I gently moved my hands down to rest over his that were wrapped around my waist. But that was about all I could move, since I was more or less pinned. My legs were curled right up into an almost complete fold, Sasuke's just beneath them, and my torso was held close to him by his arms. Not that I minded. I was pretty much accustomed to this by now.

My eyes slowly opened and wandered what I knew to be one of many bedrooms in the Uchiha household, grazing the insignia on the wall and stopping on the curtains that showed the dim light of dawn through the fabric. I twitched as Sasuke mumbled something about Naruto before clutching me tighter.

I wriggled slightly in an automatic response to his squeeze, then froze as I realised my mistake. He groaned softly, before blearily speaking, "Sachi... is it morning yet..?"

I used the opportune moment in which his grip slackened to turn myself around, wanting to face him so that I had something more interesting to look at when I was the only one awake. I smiled gently as his half asleep onyx eyes opened slightly to look at me groggily.

"No," I whispered, "It's around two AM in the morning. You can go back to sleep."

I stared at him for a second, eye catching on the black mark that marred his otherwise perfect skin. I sat up quickly, startling Sasuke into wakefulness.

"Sachi, what..?" he rubbed his face sleepily, "Come on... lay down and sleep.."

I twisted my fingers in the bed sheets, mind now fully alert and reeling as my breathing quickened. "You... go back to sleep. I'll be back in a moment."

I quickly scrambled out of the bed, grabbed my crutches and left the room, striding through the empty house in a ditch effort to make it outside. I reached for a random door, but it was blocked before I could even touch the handle.

"You don't want to go in there." Sasuke's expression was dark, but for some reason, I felt defiant of him.

"Why not?" I demanded, but immediately regretted the words.

"Just..." he seemed to struggle, face showing a weakness I had not yet seen. It came out in a whisper, "Please."

I let my head drop against his shoulder, into the base of his neck, "I was trying to get outside." I whispered back. He took my hand, holding onto one of my crutches in the other.

"That's this way." he led me along.

The cool night air soothed my frazzled nerves, and calmed my flushed skin. I sat, resting my head between my knees and exhaling heavily. "You can go," I muttered to the boy who sat beside me, the cold already defeating the nausea in my stomach, "I'll be fine in a few minutes."

"What's wrong?" he asked, ignoring my comment and rubbing circles on my back. "And don't tell me that it's nothing, because it clearly isn't."

"Your mark." I whispered into my knee, knowing that my reference to the subject would displease him. "It... nauseates me."

For weeks, he had plead with me not to speak of it, not to ruin our time together. Perhaps I had finally had enough of the sense of foreboding it gave me. The shadow that was the mark hung over me like a storm cloud. I wanted to speak of it, and other things that were supposed taboo topics as well.

"Please don't, Sachi..." he murmured tiredly, and I straightened up to glare at him.

"You can't keep it from me forever, you know! Eventually, we're going to have to get these things out in the open!" I grasped his hands, "I want you to tell me everything." my expression was serious, "About the first things you remember, your thoughts, feelings, opinions. About your clan, your parents..." my tone softened as I spoke the forbidden name, "about Itachi." he looked away, but I placed my hands on his cheeks and made him meet my eyes. "If you can't talk to me about these things then who can you talk to? I feel I could tell you anything... won't you extend the same courtesy to me?"

This was it. His decision here would make or break us. Should he tell me everything, then I will know for sure. If he doesn't, then I will know that, one day...

Sasuke would leave me.

That mark exuded something. Power, bloodlust, death. I hoped that if I could get him in touch with his trust, his care, then maybe the sixth sense I had would be proven false.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, frowning.

"I don't see why this suddenly came up in the middle of the night." he said quietly, and my hands fell from his face. I turned away as tears sprang in my eyes.

"If you don't have trust, there's nothing keeping you here." I muttered, unsure just why I valued trust so much.

"I don't get what you mean-"

I turned to him quickly, a desperate look shadowing my face, "Is it so wrong that I don't want you to leave?!"

His face held shock, but I knew it was because I had realised his conflict. I knew that part of him wanted to leave and pursue the one who gave him the mark. I wasn't stupid, and could read him like a book. I just didn't know how big that part of him was.

"I don't want to leave either." he whispered, eyes still wide.

"Then don't!" I exclaimed, "Stay here, with everything that you have built that no one can take away from you except yourself. If you leave it will all be ruined..." I reached and laced my fingers through his, "Everything."

He stared at me for the longest of times, before sighing deeply.

"Come back to bed, and we'll talk." his gaze measured my expression, "Okay?"

I frowned at him, but finally nodded. Within the minute, we were curled back up under the duvet together. I kept my gaze fixed on him, enjoying the cool breeze from the window that he had opened. I watched him expectantly, until he sighed heavily and rolled onto his back.

"When I was little, Itachi, my Onii-san, was very important to me." his gaze flickered from the ceiling to me unsurely, and I could tell that he didn't like reliving the memories. Though it was selfish of me, I nodded, urging him to continue. "He trained me, played fun games with me, and in returned I idolized him... until he ruined it." his hand squeezed mine under the covers, body rigid, "I came home from the Academy that day, only to be greeted with the corpses of my family and friends, all the people I grew up with. When I got to my house, my parents and younger sibling were already dead, Itachi standing over them. He told me that he wanted to test his power, then knocked me out and left." his tone was furious, and I was confused.

"You had another sibling?" I asked, and he lifted his free hand to rest over his eyes. I suspected that he was crying, but didn't say anything about it.

"Yes." he said, voice thick. "A younger sister, Hibari. I always used to compete with Itachi for her for her attention when we were young." a look of fondness crossed his face, only to be replaced by more pain. I rubbed his shoulder, hoping to console him, and he looked back to me, frowning. I moved closer into his side, resting my forehead against his.

"I was an only child, so I can't really sympathize, but I know how it feels to lose family." I mumbled, "It was my birthday when my Mother was killed. She left with a smile to go on her next mission, and never came back. And then, days later, I came home to my Father's blood on the floor, and a note on the table." I swallowed, "Guess he couldn't live without my Mom in the end. Kinda sad, but at least I know he loved her, right?" I choked, having attempted to laugh ruefully. The atmosphere was getting too dark and depressing for me.

"I love you." the words took me by surprise, and I froze, staring up at Sasuke, uncomprehending. His onyx gaze was steady but blazing.

"W-what?" I whispered, and a slight smirk pulled at his lips as he pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"I. Love. You." he spoke every word seperately, as though speaking to a very dim person, whispering them into my ear. I grinned widely.

"That's what I though you said." I murmured happily, wrapping my arms around his neck.

And so, I said the dooming words.

"I love you too."