Tomorrow Blossom (Sasuke Uchiha) - Book Two - I Don't Love You

Chapter Twelve: A New Group

Been writing bits and pieces between exams and revision so
Here's a chapter
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It took me a while to pinpoint exactly what was happening when I came around. I couldn't seem to catch my breath; I remained on my back, a wheezing mess, as the world spun around me. My chest felt tight, throbbing- something had hit into my back hard. Either that, or I had done a reverse belly flop from a cliff onto concrete.

A good five or ten minutes later, I managed to pull myself into a sort of upright position, heavily supported by my left arm. Only my left, because my right was very sore- and thoroughly mummified.

My forehead pinched into a frown. I didn't recognise the apparent hut I was in in the slightest, nor did I remember how I'd got here.

Stretching my limbs gingerly, I thought back, making sure to remain hyper aware of my surroundings. The last thing I could remember was traipsing around Kirigakure, looking for my team...

My head snapped round as I heard the small door a few feet to my left open, revealing a man with white hair and strange, sharp teeth. We blinked at each other in silence, and then the tense quiet was perforated by a gurgling sound of him slurping on the drink he held.

"Ah." He leaned back out of the door, "Sasuke! She's awake!"

My expression, which had been a face of wary surprise, dropped into a mask of angry suspicion. My mouth sealed shut- I had been about to say something, but no more. Neither Sasuke nor his "cohorts" deserved to hear my words.

As if by magic, for people filed into the room, only one of which I actually recognised. My fist slowly clenched, shoulders set, ready to fight or flee if needed.

"Sachi." It was still hard to look at Sasuke, but I did, for the sole purpose of being able to glare at him wholeheartedly- to let him feel the full force of my disgust at being so close to him. He looked in pretty bad shape himself, ankle bandaged, and a sliver of bandages visible from what I could see of his stomach. I realised in a flood what happened, and felt somewhat smug that I had done that to him.

I waited for him to continue while he waited for me to answer- which wasn't happening. I didn't want to talk to him any more than necessary.

He frowned slightly, then released a short sigh, and continued, "This is Karin, Suigetsu and Jugo. You're going to want to want to remember their names."

"Oh?" My expression was coldly amused, "And why's that?"

"Because you're allies with them for the foreseeable." He said, eyes piercing. Mine narrowed.

"And what if I say no?" I said slowly, getting to my feet in a purposeful manner. The three around him tensed, but he rose his arm slightly, signalling them to calm.

"You don't have a choice."

"The hell I don't!" I snapped, furious. I'd been close to breaking point the whole while, and that drove me over the edge. My hands quivered, attempting to use kinzokuton to pull a kunai, senbon, anything into my hands. When nothing responded, I looked down quickly- not taking my eyes off the enemy for more than a few seconds, mind you- and snarled. "Where the fuck are my belongings?!"

"Hidden. I saw through that ability of yours." His eyes gleamed red for a moment- a reminder that when it came down to pure ability, he still had the edge. I grit my teeth. "Until I'm sure you won't attack me, you won't see any metal."

"Ah, so that's why you made us ditch our weapons..." Suigetsu mumbled, seeming to have made a connection in his brain. I just growled to myself, scanning the room from beneath my bangs. There was a window to my left. It was small, but since this place was old, the glass was probably weak. If I jumped with enough force I could break through it.

So I did. My feet were bare so the bracken and twigs scratched at them, but I didn't care. I just wanted to get as far from them all as possible- as far from him as possible.

However, I'd barely run a hundred feet, my wounds aching and head throbbing, when a sudden force jerked my arm backwards, sending me down. I leapt to my feet, pulling my arm experimentally. A sort of cuff that I didn't recognise was round my wrist.

I yanked at the strange bangle, then gnawed on it, frustrated. "The fuck is this?!"

The maddening Uchiha, who had somehow appeared a short ways from me while I was figuring out my situation, held his own wrist out, revealing an accessory identical to mine adorning his own arm. "We're linked by a chakra thread. I can't trust you not to try and run off."

I pulled harder at the bangle, growling, "I'm not a fucking dog!" I then attempted to grasp the invisible chakra thread, but to no avail.

"It's no use. You won't break it." He said. I glared at the back of his head, imagining strangling him with his stupid chakra thread. "And there's no point running anywhere... unless you want to take me with you."

He smirked slightly, and I glared, "Why are you doing this?"

"I need you." My heart did a leap from my chest to my throat, "There's a small village which you supposedly need someone from the Asuka clan to get into-" the palpitations stopped, and I felt stupid for a split second, "It's a good thing I learned your heritage."

"Creep." I muttered, following as he started back toward the hut. He didn't look to check I was following, and that pissed me off- he just expected me to.

"I expected more of a fight from you." he said, smug in his confidence that I wouldn't try resist at that moment. "You obviously can't hate me that much."

"You obviously don't know me that well." I spat back, angered. "What'd be the point in fighting if I'm stuck with you anyway?"

"If you killed me the chakra chain would break."

"Don't tempt me." I growled. His arrogance was incredibly frustrating. I was too injured to fight at this moment and he knew it- even the run had caused a burning throughout my whole body. I sighed, muttering under my breath, "How'd it end up like this..?"

"I woke up first." He turned his head slightly to look at me, "That's all there is to it."

The phrase- as I interpreted it- was a sort of acknowledgement of my strength. His head turned away, and I glared at the ground. It pained me to feel the glow of warmth that I could still read his ulterior meanings and that he recognised I was strong.

Well, he wasn't going to fool me again with his pretty words. As soon as I got the opportunity, I was gone.

And I'd take his head before I went.