Summary: It's funny, how you can lose yourself within the darkness and wake up in the twisted fantasy called reality.
Standard disclaimer applies here
Broken Glass
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The softest cries can be the loudest screams.
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There's a dark eyed, dark haired, pale boy standing before her, not even thirty feet away. He's tall and lean, elegant and swift, muscular and quiet, and hauntingly beautiful.
His eyes flash red as he gazes at her, angry and silent and absolutely deadly. His body is rigid, straight, and tense, as if daring her to make the first move.
She doesn't.
Instead, she's frozen. It's not fear, she realizes. It's something more.
It's a burning pain rising in her chest, the threat of tears burning in her eyes, and the sudden helplessness that washes over her body.
She's a grown kunoichi, and a strong one at that, too; but the sight of him, at the boy who crushed her heart and shattered her dreams and left her behind, she doesn't do anything. She can't do anything. There's something about him, about the way his (unfamiliar, now) bottomless, empty dark eyes stare at her darkly, raking over her body before sneering at her. There's something about him, with his jet black hair that whips around his matured face, all lines and angles. There's something that makes her think of the young boy, three years ago, who cared for her and protected her in his very own quiet way.
There's something unforgettable about him.
After all, you never forget your first love.
-x-
She's become beautiful, he realizes.
He can't stop himself from raking his eyes over her matured body, from her long, lean legs up to her slim, athletic figure. Her hair's grown longer, her confidence is higher, and she shines with determination. She's become strong, he realizes.
But she's still weak.
He can't help but sneer to himself when she tenses under her gaze, even though she's several feet away. She averts her pretty green eyes away, and her stance becomes protective.
It angers him, for some reason.
Why won't she look at him? His temper flares. Why is she afraid? His anger boils.
Maybe she couldn't look at him because he's a monster in her eyes. Maybe she tensed because she's protecting herself. Maybe she's terrified.
The last thought rips through his mind, icy cold fingers gripping his heart.
A dirty, nasty sneer morphs on his face, and he unsheathes his katana.
It'll be beautiful to break something beautiful.
-x-
When he charges towards her, she can't think. Her feet don't move and her mind shuts down. She doesn't hear Naruto's horrified yell, or Kakashi-sensei's panicked order for her to move.
She only sees him, hears him, and feels him before he reaches her.
And when loud chirps amplify, piercing through her, she doesn't feel the pain of the cut. Instead, she feels the pain of her carefully mended heart, shattering all over again.
-x-
Time stops.
He's close enough to feel her hot breath against his cheek. His hand is covered in a warm sticky liquid, and a dark smirk lifts at his lips.
How do you like that, pretty girl?
The loud chirps of his Chidori are like music to his ears; her silence is the background music. It's a beautiful, beautiful thing, he thinks.
The crimson blood, trailing from the corner of her pink lips, bright against her ivory skin. Her emerald eyes, wide with…not fear, but something else.
He becomes confused.
Suddenly, she leans forward, lips to his ear.
Suddenly, he doesn't hear anything- not the loud, terrified, angered roar of 'TEME!' from his former best friend, not the feared yell of his former sensei.
All he hears is her, when she whispers oh-so-quietly in his ear,
"I still love you, Sasuke-kun."
-x-
She doesn't know why she says that, but she's glad she did. Because if she is going to die, here in front of the boy she loved- loves, she might as well tell him that.
She's no longer awake to see his reaction.
-x-
His mind is blank.
His heart accelerates.
And he finally wakes up.
When she slumps against his body, heavy and lifeless, he awakens.
He panics.
He's scared.
Picking her up and standing her straight, he looks into her lifeless eyes (ironic, isn't it? How they used to be so full of life, contrasting yours, but now they're the same? Lifeless and empty; just like you) and he sees not himself- not the boy Itachi fought to save, not the caring prodigy, not mommy's boy, who had dreams of becoming a captain for the Konoha Police Force- no, he sees something terrible.
He sees the monster he's become.
-x-
"Sakura," he whispers, and he doesn't even hear footsteps approaching quickly.
"Sakura." This isn't funny. "Sakura." Wake up. "Sakura." I'm sorry.
But sometimes sorry ain't enough.
Sorry ain't enough to save you from the darkness of your own heart.
-x-
Naruto can't believe it.
He can't believe that something like this would happen.
And it's his fault.
Why couldn't he save her? Why wasn't he fast enough? Why? Why?
Naruto used to have so much faith for his best friend, believing he would return one day and team seven would be reunited. He had such high hopes for a happy ending for his (their) team, unlike Kakashi-sensei's or Jiraiya's.
But happy endings weren't real, were they? It didn't seem like it.
It never felt more satisfying than that very moment when he smashes his fist hard against the pale, frozen face of his best friend, and hearing a loud, cringing crunch.
-x-
He's bruised and bloody and he's not longer alive (because she isn't) and he returns willingly. He's ashamed and he hates himself and he wants to die.
(you heartless, heartless bastard! How could you?)
…and when Tsunade tells announces that Sakura will be okay, for the first time on a very, very long time…
…he hopes.
-x-
It's a cold, cold hospital room.
Well, the room itself isn't cold. It's decorated brightly with flowers (in courtesy of Ino Yamanaka, who offered up the entire flower shop when she heard the condition of her best friend) and the sunshine is streaming through the window, and the birds were singing a loud song outside, cheering her up, but the room still feels cold.
She wakes up in screams and in terror, sweat pouring down her pale face, hands clutching her frail body. There's nobody in the room except for her, and she can hear familiar voices down the hall, but she's terrified. Absolutely petrified.
She shakes unconditionally, even as Ino and Tsunade and Kakashi and Naruto walk in. She doesn't put on her brave face like she normally would, because she's scared.
"Oh, baby," Ino cries, and folds her in a tight hug. Behind her, Naruto looks on her with glassy eyes and an ashamed tilt of his head.
"Naruto," she croaks, dry, pale lips curving into a small, strained smile, "It's okay." But really, she knows it's not and never will be okay.
But Naruto and Kakashi and everyone she loves doesn't need to suffer through something she put on herself.
-x-
It's a dark, dark jail cell.
He's the only one in there, and he isn't surprised. Konoha wasn't heartless to keep prisoners hostage in empty dark jail cells like Oto or any other place.
But he's an exception.
He broke Konoha's prized jewel. He'd crushed her and smashed her and broke her to splinters in more ways than one. He'd splash her precious blood on his clothes and on the filthy ground and on his already bloodstained hands, and after that past lives that were lost by his hand didn't matter to him anymore. None of it could possibly surpass the horror he's done to his former teammate.
Smashing his fist angrily against the cold iron bars, he grits his teeth and stares at the ground in hate. The loud sound echoes through the hall, and the light drip of water echoes in the after silence.
He hates everything. He hates it all.
Deep down, he knows he hates himself. He knows that he brought this on himself, on everybody. He knows he shouldn't get close to her, be near her, but he can't help it.
He can't help the way her lightness attracts his darkness, how she reminds him of everything he could've had but never will have, how she reminds him of home and love and betrayal. He can't help how she makes this pitch black hole he calls his heart beat like a drum when he sees her (or thinks he sees her).
He hates how she deserves better than him. He hates that he's lost his chance.
-x-
It has been two months since she was released from the hospital, six months of trying to forget, and one second- barely- to relive it all.
Passing by him on the street back from the supermarket, seeing those beautiful, bottomless eyes made her heart thump wildly and panic set in.
She heard from the gossiping villagers a few days prior that Tsunade had ordered a released on Uchiha Sasuke, placing him under strict ANBU surveillance. She heard a mixture of thoughts and opinions on this matter; ranging from 'how dare they release that bloody murderer? I'll never let my children near him!' to 'he's has a difficult life. Imagine going through what he went through. He lost his childhood, you know. I think he deserves a second chance.' Sakura herself didn't know how to react. Instead, she has pushed the thought away.
Until now.
Hand gripping the loaf of bread she'd just bought, she pushes forward, eyes wide in horror as she felt his eyes on her retreating back.
"Sakura," she hears him call out to her.
No no no, her mind screams, don't say my name. Go away. Go away.
"Sakura, wait."
She breaks into a run, sprinting and pushing past confused civilians. Go, her mind yells. Go! Run faster!
But she isn't fast enough. After all, Sasuke had always been faster. (ironic how this is what she'd been dreaming of all her life, Sasuke being the one to chase her, except this isn't what she want- go away, Sasuke, go away!)
She bites down a terror-filled scream as he snatches her wrist and drags her to an abandon alleyway by the side of the street.
-x-
A sharp jolt of energy shoots up his arm as he comes in contact with her skin, soft and smooth under his calloused hands. She's tense under his touch, emerald eyes wide, and she restrains him. Tries to push him away. Tries to run away. Away from him. (but why wouldn't she? Her hands are pure compared to yours, you monster)
"Sakura," he repeats again, softer this time. "Sakura, please." She's backed up against the rough brick wall of the side of the building, backed up so close her back is rubbing against the rough stone wall, and there's terror, absolute terror in her eyes.
He releases her gently, and whispers again, so un-Sasuke like, "Sakura, please."
And then she stops restraining and stops pushing and lets out a breath she'd been holding, and he relaxes.
"Look," he says, ever so lightly, "You know me, and you know I'm not too good with words, so I'm going to say this straight: I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She loosens up her tensed body, and feeling brave, Sasuke gently reaches out and lightly- ever so lightly- grazes her cheek with his hand.
"I…I don't deserve you, and I know I've lost my chance, but I just want you to know it wasn't suppose to happen like this. It wasn't." He takes a deep breath before he continues, "I'll stay away, if that's what you want. Just tell me to go and I will."
He watches as she shuts her eyes tightly, almost painfully, and braces himself for the goodbye. There's an ice cold grip on his heart, squeezing it hard, and he feels the urge to grab her and hold her close and protect her from anything and absolutely everything…but she's afraid of him, and he can't be too close because she needs protection from him.
Sighing, he turns away and starts retreating, when her voice stops him. His heart thumps with joy.
There's no terror in her voice, no hesitation, no doubts. When he turns back and looks at her, he sees the strong, brilliant shine of her eyes, her long-missed smile, and her welcoming, relaxed, trusting aura. She's no longer running away, no longer hiding- her confidence shines through, and she sounds absolutely, positively sure when she says,
"Stay."
(and although they are young and broken, they have forever to fix it.)
Fin.
Note: PITTSBURGH PENGUINS BEAT BOSTON AND NEW YORK AND TORONTO, AND THEREFORE I AM HAPPY. :)
Anyways, tell me what you think! Oh and what NHL team do you guys root for? I'm curious.
-A