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Heaven: Ch 8

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Chapter 8



It was warm; not the kind of burning fire he'd associated with his fever, but the all-encompassing kind of warmth he now knew only in his earliest memories. As a small boy Sasuke had been terrified of the storms that occasionally swept through Konoha. Violent crescendos of crashing thunder and flashing lightning; the wind howling like a pack of baying wolves… yes, he'd hated those storms. Until he'd been three years old – and his father had put a stop to the 'coddling' – he'd only have to yell and his mother would almost instantly be by his side. She would wrap the blankets tightly around him, whisper soothing nonsense into his ear and stroke through his hair until he fell asleep again. On the rare nights she didn't come, Itachi would be there. Even now, years into adulthood, Sasuke couldn't quite decide if he'd loved the attention from his reticent older brother or if he'd hated having Itachi see him at his weakest. Always, his father's voice rang in his ears, whenever there was a storm.

He was an Uchiha and Uchihas were not afraid of anything.

Even at the age of three his cowardice had irked him; he didn't want to be a disappointment to his father … he wanted to live up to his brother's example … but he'd never liked the thunder.

Now, it droned outside; low and threatening, but somehow he felt only the warmth and for a moment Sasuke couldn't help but wonder if this was what it meant to be dead. He shifted slightly, frowned as the last vestiges of sleep retracted their feelers from his mind and body and still the inexplicable warmth remained. One side of his body ached with the burning of the wound; the other side deliciously warm and comfortable, in stark contrast with the miserably wet weather that held sway outside.

Slowly, Sasuke took stock of his surroundings; feeling with his chakra, straining his hearing to its limits, still strangely reluctant to open his eyes. It would bring an end to the last lingering shreds of a happier past … The cold stone floor was still as lumpy and uneven as he remembered it being; the cave just as damp and dank. Rain pattered lightly onto the ground outside but the thunder that had woken him was still distant. Idly, he wondered how many days he had lost in unconsciousness. Every second brought him more fully awake and finally, with a sigh and a wince of pain as the bandages pulled tight across his ribs, Sasuke opened his eyes and carefully eased himself up onto one elbow.

Dark eyes swept over the cave, taking in the still shadows and the fire that had burned down to embers; the slightly damp clothes spread out on the rocks in front of its meagre heat. His head turned, gaze falling to the source of the pleasant heated tingling at his side and Sasuke froze.

Somewhere inside him, where he had been sure everything was dead and decaying, something stirred. It breathed, taking a new lease on life, though Sasuke couldn't. He remained shocked into unnatural stillness until his wavering vision and the burn in his lungs reminded him to breathe again.

She lay on her stomach, arms wrapped around herself, nestled against his side with one leg drawn up and over his.

When was the last time he'd touched anyone in anything other than violence?

When was the last time someone had touched him without violence being their intent?

Breathlessly, Sasuke let himself slide carefully back into his previous position. Why did he feel as if he'd been punched in the gut? No matter how he sucked in air, it wasn't enough for his oxygen deprived lungs. His heart was pounding against the cage of his ribs. He closed his eyes, fighting to even his breathing; frowning as he tried to sort through the tangled barrage of information his senses sent to his brain.

She felt good. Warm and soft and small against him.

She looked exhausted; dark circles lining her eyes despite the deep breathing of heavy slumber.

Her long hair spread over the makeshift pillow – really a balled up shirt – they shared; it spilled down her back and a few long strands lay across his chest. Sasuke firmly suppressed the urge to touch it, to stroke along the shining length and see if it was as soft as it looked.

It was confusing, this mingling of worlds.

She was never supposed to have been anything other than a reluctant weapon at best. His plans didn't include getting to know her - it didn't include knowing anything about her other than the skills she possessed. She couldn't be a teammate; couldn't be anything more than another jutsu he could wield. One use, that was all she had. She only had to buy his passage to Naruto, that was all…

Why should the fact that she'd slept next to him have such a profound effect? Why did it suddenly feel as if there had been another subtle shift in this increasingly more complicated partnership of necessity?

Sasuke shook his head irritably, ignoring the twinges of pain that shot through his body at the slight movement. No, it must be the last ravages of the fever; the strange dream-memories it had evoked just before he'd woken up. Logically there was nowhere else for her to have slept. It didn't matter to him where she slept or if she slept at all.

It was too much. Just too close. Too… intimate. That was all.

He couldn't think of her as flesh and blood; emotions and opinions. He'd been down this road before. Teammates and friends, and bonds of love and loyalty … He couldn't do it again. Long ago Sasuke had made his choices; embarked down this road of darkness and vengeance where there was no space for anything other than death and destruction.

He knew the price; had paid it willingly. After all, he had had nothing left to lose.

The anger flared, mercifully. What had given her the right to be anything other than what he required her to be? He hadn't asked to be taken care of; it was obvious that was behind her exhaustion – it wasn't difficult to put two and two together considering his last memories before the fever had truly taken hold. Carefully, Sasuke shifted again, onto his side so there was again a narrow sliver of space between their bodies. He could still feel the heat radiating off her naked skin. His eyes narrowed as they roved her face; wondering if he'd made a mistake; given her too much leeway. Perhaps a reminder that she was, in essence, nothing more than a prisoner was in order.

His eyes fell to her mouth. Dried blood covered her lower lip, tiny scabs already formed. They didn't do anything to hide the shredded flesh though; the clear line of teeth marks embedded in the soft skin. The newly awakened… thing… inside him shifted restlessly but Sasuke was unable to identify the uncomfortable feeling as he took in the fact that she'd been anxious enough to chew her bottom lip to shreds. She felt so soft, looked so soft, and yet he couldn't help but wonder if there was anything about this girl that wasn't all razor-sharp edges.

For some reason he couldn't breathe again and it took him a moment to realize the cause.

Tenten's eyes were open.



His eyes were grey.

That was the only thought her sleep-fuddled brain could manage as Tenten opened her eyes the next morning only to find herself staring straight into the Uchiha's unfathomable gaze.

Shadow-dark; shaded in anger and violence most days so they deepened to near-black. But now, his gaze guarded but calm - still newly woken judging by the confused petulance that pulled at his mouth - Tenten looked straight into them for the first time.

They were definitely grey. Dark, dark grey, to be sure. But grey nonetheless.

She opened her mouth; to say what she had no idea, but his gaze finally released hers and fell to her mouth. Suddenly the space between them changed; going from confused and somewhat at a loss for how to deal with each other to something … unidentifiable.

A slow-burn, as if someone had just stoked the fire; small lashes of lightning charging the air …

She couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. He was so close! Too close; far too close for comfort…

Deep inside her mind, some shred of self-preservation woke and screamed at her to get away. By now she could recognize his anger though this time it was covered in so many layers of emotions she couldn't even begin to classify them all. Every cell in her body was awake, buzzing with that strange energy that charged the air between them.

Sasuke turned his head, just slightly but enough to release her from her strangely frozen state. The electric feeling had leeched all her energy and Tenten sagged back against the shirt that served as a pillow and tried to control her breathing.

"How long?"

His voice was clipped and Tenten jumped, arms automatically tightening around herself and bringing with it the realization of her state of undress. The blush felt like it started at her toes and had her whole body glowing bright red.

"Um, t-two days," she finally managed to stammer out, grateful that he wasn't looking at her as he carefully pushed himself into a sitting position.

He swore, quietly and under his breath, but Tenten still froze in instinctive fear.

"Get dressed."

The terse order was imparted from between clenched teeth but Tenten obediently reached for her nearest shirt and pulled it over her head while Sasuke did the same. Standing and stretching was both painful and glorious; this part of missions she'd always hated the most. Having to sleep on the ground did not make for the most restful nights. Wistfully she wondered if they could manage an inn at nightfall but that cynical voice that had been born in Sasuke's company sniggered in the back of her mind; mocking the wishful thinking. More than likely the next few nights would be spent out in the open.

A furtive glance at the wincing Sasuke as she struggled to pull a bra into place under her shirt reminded her of the fact that he must still be in considerable pain. He really shouldn't even be on his feet, much less contemplating a day's hard travel …

Nervously, Tenten cleared her throat.

"You need a medic. A civilian doctor, even. Stitches at the very least…"

He glared and she could feel the chakra gathering; darker and even more oppressive than it had ever felt in her presence. Still, she turned and faced him head-on. After everything; the fear and the almost-dying and the blood and the gore … there was no way she was backing down on this. Not again. Almost instinctively her hands settled on her hips; determination firming her jaw and she spoke through clenched teeth.

"It's not a scratch. Not even close. Do not even think about using that line, Uchiha. You'll die if you don't get it properly treated! In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a medic!"

A part of her marvelled – while simultaneously cringing in expectation of the pain of Chidori – at the fact that she was actually fighting him. This unstable, indecipherable, impossibly talented and powerful man, who could incinerate her with a mere glance … and she was yelling at him. Silence fell, heavy and pressing, as Sasuke stared at her for a long moment; eyes slightly hooded and unreadable as always but mercifully still their natural shade.

It happened so quickly she had no time to prepare. One moment she was still glaring defiantly at the stubborn Uchiha and the next he was right in front of her, gripping her elbows tightly; his strength almost unaffected by his wound. Tenten winced against the bite of his fingers digging into her skin but endeavoured to meet his gaze. The effect was rather spoiled by the fact that she could feel the fearful widening of her eyes; heart pounding a frantic tattoo against her ribs – things he wouldn't fail to notice. The smug smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth eloquently told her that he had noticed. That newly discovered, defiant anger flared afresh and Tenten glared up at Sasuke, surreptiously trying to free herself at the same time.

Instead of letting go he leaned down slightly and Tenten's anger faded, taking the defiance with it, leaving her strangely wrong-footed and breathless in his hold.

"I'd imagine you'd want nothing more than my death."

For a moment the words made no sense. Tenten's somewhat dazed gaze watched his lips moving but didn't register the sounds at all.

He was… overpowering.

The dark waves of his chakra rolled over her skin; almost caressing as it reached for the pieces of him that resided inside her. The seal flared and Tenten bit her lip; trying to ground herself against the strange rush running through her veins. The pain as her teeth broke the skin for the umpteenth time brought her back to reality.

"If you die, so do I, remember?" she bit each word off acerbically. "The last thing I want is you dead."

That probing gaze, as if he could see right through her made her shudder in apprehensive fear. He was… different… this morning. Far too human. She couldn't see him as a human-being. The dreams, the borrowed pain, had been bad enough. This… overwhelming attention… she'd much preferred it when he barely acknowledged her existence. But it was too late for that; she'd opened her big mouth and landed his speculative attention squarely upon herself and now she had to deal with the repercussions. Tenten squared her shoulders; refusing to be daunted.

"You're a smart girl … you have a better than average understanding of seals since you use scrolls to seal and summon weapons. As I weaken you'll find a way to break the barrier and detach my chakra, I'm sure."

For a moment Tenten stared at Sasuke; mouth slightly agape, completely dumbfounded. She'd never even thought of that. Only felt his chakra dragging hers down and panicked. Oh, and how she hated the almost-amusement that lurked in that damnable all-seeing gaze. Tenten's eyes narrowed; for a moment she forgot that being this close to Uchiha Sasuke could result in grievous bodily harm for the unwary. Usually she approached him the way she would have a wild animal; slow and careful, always keeping a healthy escape distance but at his words indignation and chagrin overpowered a level-head. Barely a second of returning his glare at full-power and she was reminded of why it was such an incredibly bad idea to challenge him in any way. His grip tightened; the momentary levity – barely there as it was – disappearing as if it had never been. Sasuke leaned closer still; a mere micro-inch of space separating them and, his eyes never leaving hers, spoke.

"It would have been better if you'd let me die."

In a silent swirl of ash he was gone.

On auto-pilot Tenten gathered their things, stowing them safely in their packs; kicked dirt over the still glowing embers of the fire. But her thoughts were troubled and far away, even as adrenaline rushed through her veins … her body recognizing the near-miss even if her head didn't. Her head was too preoccupied with the changes in him. Had she imagined it? The breath of longing as he'd whispered those words? Not for the first time Tenten wondered, in fearful frustration, what she'd gotten herself into. Every minute she spent in Sasuke's company only strengthened the feeling of foreboding. Whatever hints for escape he'd just given her … Sasuke had no intention of being alive beyond the foreseeable future.

And he had no compunction – felt no remorse – in taking her with him if she wasn't quick or smart enough to get herself out in time.



Much as he hated to admit it, the silly girl may have had a point.

Sasuke grimaced, one hand carefully – surreptiously – grazing over the bandages under his shirt. Even in the waning light he could clearly see how his palm came away stained with blood. It glinted black against his pale skin before he quickly wiped the evidence away on his black pants. He gritted his teeth and forced his legs forward; one step, then another and another.

Slowly, they continued to wind their way through the scraggly, mist-shrouded trees that constituted a forest in this part of the world. Grimly, he forced himself onward, just barely aware of Tenten never more than half a step behind him. Despite the pain – strange how he had to keep reminding himself that he'd lived through much worse – amusement lurked deep inside; the bewildered expression on Tenten's face as she followed where he led was actually quite funny. It was obvious that she had no idea where they were or where they were going, and even less of an idea of how he managed to keep track of how to get there.

They had been moving for almost twelve hours straight. A much slower pace than Sasuke would have liked, but not too bad considering the lingering effects of his fever and her exhaustion. The problem was that it seemed to be catching up to him now. Even with the sharp edges of Sharingan vision the world wavered and spun in front of his eyes; sharp flashes of light sending blooming colours across the backs of his eyelids whenever he blinked. His footsteps were no longer following a straight line; for the last half-hour they had been travelling on the ground. The vertigo he'd experienced leaping from branch to branch having convinced him of the sensibility of swallowing a bit of pride to save another two day waste of time. Darkness was falling in earnest now but the sparse woodland offered very little in terms of shelter for the night and Sasuke grimaced at the thought of a cold, wet camp.

"Stop," he muttered irritably, finally coming to terms with the fact that he couldn't go any further at the moment.

Tenten nearly walked into his back but righted herself at the last moment and he ignored her in favor of shedding his pack and rubbing his shoulders. From the corner of his eye, he could just see the dismay coloring her face as she, too, came to the realization that they were in for an uncomfortable night. But the focus he'd come to appreciate in her quickly reasserted itself and she shrugged her own pack from her shoulders.

"Sit," she commanded, "I'll try to start a fire though the kami know if anything dry enough can be found… ″

Her words trailed away, half-muttered over her shoulder, as she headed into the surrounding trees to look for anything dry enough to burn. Her commanding tone grated; that much Sasuke could admit. He wasn't used to taking orders from anyone… but his muscles were trembling from strain and his head ached, which was nothing compared to the stabs of white-hot agony flaring in his side… so he simply heeded her words and sat down.

Distantly, as he watched her forage – being careful to not stray too far from their camping spot – he wondered when exactly she'd grown so much more comfortable in his presence.



Hours later, after Tenten had miraculously started a small fire and heated a can of soup for them to share, Sasuke had to admit that he felt a lot better. While she'd been occupied with her tasks he'd taken the opportunity to wash and redress the wound and with a full stomach and feeling somewhat warm, wrapped in the heavy Akatsuki cloak he'd received so long ago, he was almost content.

Silence had fallen; Tenten carefully keeping to her side of the fire. As if by pre-arranged signal they were both wary of being too close … the morning's events still too much on the forefronts of their minds. There was nothing else to do but wait for sleep and Sasuke found his eyes wandering idly over their surroundings before settling on the girl seated across the fire. She sat cross-legged on top of her sleeping back. Her black combat gloves had been discarded and she leaned back on her arms; slender fingers digging absentmindedly into the wet dirt behind her as her head tilted back and she stared at the sky.

Sasuke rarely wondered what went through another's head but tonight he found himself idly staring at his companion and wondering what she was thinking of; her eyes fixed so unwaveringly on the sky. The heavy cloud cover had started to clear by late afternoon and now, as the moon slowly rose to its zenith, the night sky was almost ablaze with star light. He lifted his eyes, following the line of her gaze, assuming that she was tracing constellations based on the slight movements of her lips, as if she was reciting a memorized verse.

"Do you have a particular interest in astronomy?"

The words were out before he could stop them but strangely Sasuke didn't regret uttering them. This girl was different; she wouldn't take a meaningless remark and turn it into a declaration of undying love that resulted in him never gaining another moment of peace in her company.

Tenten had frozen at his question but he waited silently, patiently, until she unwound slightly. Leaning forward, hunching into herself as if afraid of her answer – or perhaps his reaction to it? – she stared at the ground as she spoke.

"Astrology, really. I like horoscopes. Which is stupid, I know. But the star signs are interesting all on their own, I suppose… without connecting them to random events in people's lives."

"Hn," he grunted, strangely irritated when she subsided into a relaxed pose at his expected dismissal.

Just to prove a point he decided to elaborate.

"The movements of the stars have allowed humans to navigate for centuries."

Somehow he was mildly pleased at her startled expression; knowing that she immediately understood the implication that he didn't believe stars and knowledge regarding them was a useless past-time. Abruptly, Sasuke turned his head, tilting his neck back to rest against the tree-trunk behind him; this time firmly dismissing the girl in front of him. Though he couldn't really see her any longer her voice replayed in his head.

Why did he care what she thought or liked or did with her time? It didn't matter! It must be the effects of the fever… the illness and injury that didn't quite want to let him go as yet.

But, for the first time in many years, Sasuke had initiated a conversation about meaningless topics. And it was definitely caused by the ravages of his wound, Sasuke concluded, because he couldn't really be feeling grateful that he wasn't alone in these last days. No, she was still annoying and frustrating, and tomorrow he would be back to his normal emotional equilibrium again …

But tonight, Sasuke decided, maybe he could appreciate the fact that she didn't seem to be such terrible company. Maybe, just for tonight, he could believe that nothing existed beyond their meagre camp; beyond this silly, annoying girl with her romantic ideals and innocent notions and the way a few worthless sentences falling from her lips made him feel oddly exhilarated.

It was strangely fitting that the last few memories he amassed before the end be so far removed from the memories that had shaped him into the man he had become.

Not since he'd been a child, lulled to sleep by his mother's voice and touch, had Sasuke slipped so easily into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The ghosts were silent that night.
Heaven: Ch 8

Unholy alliances led Sasuke down the path of destruction but he'd always known one day he would have to pay his dues. Through a twist of fate Tenten becomes his ticket out of a hatred ravaged existence as she struggles to make her way home. Ninja-verse AU.

Couples: SasuTen & some NejiTen.

A/N: wow, this story is amazingly difficult to write from time to time xD And I do most sincerely apologize for any lack on my part – I try my best to convey the story as I see it in my head. Heaven is a living document and at the end (still far in the future) I will be returning for rewrites and a final edit so please take the time to leave me a review so that I know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong!
Such a long a/n! But lots of SasuTen in this chapter to make up for it ^^

If you like my work, please add to your :+fav:s! To be updated on the new chapters, please add me to your :+devwatch:.

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~Nokito-chan :star:
© 2013 - 2024 Nokito-chan
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cas42's avatar
I haven't felt sympathetic for Sasuke in some time. Your opening for this chapter made me say "awww..." Nicely done.

I'm letting you know now... Everything you have written about Sasuke is... Just too good. It's inspiring me in my own fanfiction. I apologize in advance if I inadvertently steal your abso-frickin'-lutely amazing insights into his character... Seriously... Kishimoto should call you up when he needs to write the next Sasuke oriented chapter.

And just in case that wasn't enough praise for you... They way you're developing this slow relationship between Sasuke and Tenten... Masterful!

-Cas