The Way Into Mist Village (Naruto)

20: Sakura's Blues

[OP: Constellations-The Oh Hellos]

Sakura had to collect herself before she could answer.

"I want you to stop it with this... you're treating Sasuke miserably! I mean, I see that some of you are still a little nervous around him, but you keep saying nasty things to him, and treating him like he's a criminal. If you do that, he's going to leave."

"We've been doing it all week and he's still here," Shine pointed out.

Sakura couldn't explain that. "I don't know why he's put up with it this long. Maybe he's trying to atone for his mistakes."

"If you just talked to him, I can't imagine how you could think that." Shine said coldly.

"You did it again!" Sakura said. "Why do you hate him so much?"

"I don't," Shine said. "In fact, that brat may actually be growing on me."

"Brat? There you are," Sakura said. Then "what do you mean growing on you?"

"Oh IS won you get used to his upea he's not so hard to deal with," Shine shrugged. "But that's not why you like him. I can't fathom why you do like him."

"I know you can't believe you don't try, you always think the worst of Sasuke," Sakura said.

Shine frowned at her. "Sakura, do you remember what Sasuke did the first time we met him?"

Sakura paused. "Well, you had a fight, but it's not like it was personal."

"And after that? Shoto and Touya went after him, you remember that? He handed them over to Orochimaru at once and Shoto was nearly bitten and Touya was nearly killed." Shine said.

"They went after him," Sakura said. "Didn't they think that could happen."

"How does that absolve Sasuke of guilt?" Shine said. "He threatened them and he was going to let them be taken just so he could get what he wanted. I have no idea if he ever regretted that, but she's never said anything about it to me, I believe he doesn't ever remember doing it. That's how little he cares about other people."

"But...why would you ask him to be here then?" Sakru asid.

"That's a good question," Shine said. "If I truly don't care, why am I doing this? But since you know best, Sakura, I suppose you can figure it out for yourself. After all, you never been wrong before." She was cutting.

Sakura's blood was boiling and not many people would have provoked her there. But she didn't usually hit other girls...thankfully for Shine perhaps.

"Id i nwo ahr yo tuor to do," she said. "But I won't let you hurt Sasuke."

"Always about Sasuke isn't it?" Shine said. "I'm not going to hurt him, Sakura. But you might."

"What?" Sakura gasped.

"What do you think this little diatribe of yours is going to accomplish?" Shiae spoke to her like a mom would-- Sakura knew because she actually had a mom who occasionally had taken that tone with her when she was a kid. "Do you think it impresses me that you're upset? You're usually upset about one thing or another, and sometimes it's valid, I'll give you that, but you don't dictate to me what I do about this team. Sasuke is not going to listen to you and there's a very good reason for that. I'd leave him alone if I were you, you're only making it worse."

"How can you do that to me?" Sakura sad. "I've wanted to help him for years."

"Yes, and in all that time you've never once questioned if your approach to him might not be the right one?" Shine said. "You criticize us for what we're doing? But has what you do ever worked? Let me point out something to you, Sakura. Sasuke has left every time you've tried all that crying, pleading thing on him. He's stuck with us for at least a week, longer than you thought when he first agreed to this. Why do you think that is?"