Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
10 Days: Sasuke died, only to wake up in another man's body. He was given a second chance on earth for ten days. One-shot.
10 Days
The battle field was strewn with dead or dying bodies. Survival was extremely low, and the foggy place reeked of blood.
Uchiha Sasuke lay on this ground, dying, and though many people say that your life flashes past your eyes before you die, he saw nothing. Maybe he wasn't dying then.
His eyelids were heavy and so he let the vision fade away. There were various shuffling and shouts, and it was only after he felt himself being moved that he realized people had arrived.
No, not just any people, but medics, who must look like angels sent straight from Heaven, because that was who they were for the dying men. Especially for dying men on a battlefield, one earthly place most resembling Hell.
Except Uchiha Sasuke didn't care for medics. He had revenged, so he felt no need to cling onto his life anymore.
But then he heard her voice. No, not her voice, but more precisely, her soft sobbing.
Instead of seeing his life flash by, or on the contrary, seeing nothing but the empty darkness, Uchiha Sasuke's dying mind filled with the vision of this crying girl.
No, not a girl – a woman. When had she grown up so much? When had he fallen so low, and more importantly, when had she plunged down into such a deep, lonely lake of sadness?
Probably ever since the day they had first met.
And so the last thing he saw in his mind was the pink of her hair, and the jade of her eyes, and, most beautiful of them all, the soft angelic smile on her innocent, carefree face.
Just as he had remembered her.
. . .
Sasuke had no idea what to expect after death. In fact, he had never even given such thought, but when his consciousness came to, a low voice thudded in his mind.
"Uchiha Sasuke. You will be granted ten days."
There was no further explanation, but the raven-haired man vaguely understood that he had just been granted ten more days on earth.
"How?" He managed to choke out, and the mysterious voice thudded again.
"Give your thanks to Harashi Jin."
And who Harashi Jin was, Sasuke had no idea, but unconsciousness crept inside him again.
. . .
"Jin-san, are you okay?"
His head was pounding wildly and every part of him seemed to scream out with pain, especially his right hand.
"Jin-san?" There he heard her voice again, her sweet curious voice layered thick with worry.
Sasuke tried to open his eyes, but there was not even a speck of energy within him.
"Wait here, Jin-san, I'm getting you to my medic tent, because all the other tents are already full."
Suddenly, yet carefully, he felt his body lift up from the ground. For a moment, he was carried away while suspended in the air, between the bloody ground and the vast blue sky. The last thing he felt was the hardness of a rough makeshift bed, and then he drifted unconscious again.
. . .
Sasuke would have slept more, probably, and perhaps hopefully, he would never have to wake up. His desire for revenge had shriveled and left and for the first time, all he wanted was an eternal slumber.
Until, that was, he heard a soft whimper. Without having to open his eyes, he knew it was her, crying alone and hidden.
Mustering all effort, he croaked out, "Sakura?"
There was a sharp small gasp, and after a pause (she was probably wiping her tears), she rushed over to him.
"Jin-san! You're awake! How are you feeling?"
There was a soft caring smile on her face. This, Sasuke knew, because he had finally opened his eyes, and painfully, he saw the dried tears on her cheeks.
"Saku –" He drawled out slowly, but he instantly froze.
His voice was not his. It was strangely deeper, and perhaps it was because Sasuke had taken damage on his throat or something, but there was another thing that irked him.
Sakura kept calling him "Jin."
Furrowing his brows, he tried to remember. What had that mysterious voice said? Be thankful to Harashi Jin?
Was he in Harashi Jin's body? That was rather too difficult to comprehend.
The pink-haired medic crouched down soundlessly, and warmly grabbed his hand. Her touch was so soft, and it dug out the memories he had been trying to bury.
He had thought those memories were buried deeply, too deeply even for him to reach, but it seemed that one simple touch from his formal teammate was all it took to bring them back again.
Abruptly, Sasuke slapped her hand away, and as he did so, a shattering pain soared through his hand. That was right, he now remembered. His right hand felt the highest, most excruciating pain.
But he had to slap her hand away, pain or not, because though Sakura was touching him, it wasn't Sasuke. It was Jin's hand she had been holding.
She smiled, and there was a flicker of bitterness, but she rose up before Sasuke could make out her feelings.
"I have to go take care of the other patients, Jin-san, so make sure you get plenty of rest, okay?"
Sasuke wanted to respond, to say something, but he didn't know what. In defeat, he shifted in the bed and let his eyes close again.
. . .
Already three days had passed, and when Sakura was out healing injuries, Sasuke practiced little by little, building up his stamina. Though, if he was going to die in ten days, there was really no need, but he found nothing else to do but train.
Sometimes, when he trained, and he took a short rest to steady his breaths, his mind flickered to Sakura. So he had been given second chance at life (though just for ten days), but he had done nothing.
What was he supposed to do? Frankly, he didn't think there would be any difference if he had gone on with his death. That was the natural way of things.
And when his mind probed to think further back, to make his memories come alive, he picked up his training again. Remembering never did him good, anyway.
Later that day, he crawled into the tent and was about to go to sleep, when she broke their soft, comfortable silence.
"Jin-san," it was barely a whisper. "Can you tell me?"
Sasuke looked at her like he had no idea what she was talking about, and that was simply the truth.
"You promised me you'll tell me about the Uchiha clan…" her voice drifted off, obvious doubt discouraging her to continue further.
Sasuke's heart thumped wildly, and he could only question, 'Just who the hell is Harashi Jin?'
But silence did not dishearten Sakura. "Jin-san!" she hissed with determination. "You promised! I… I…"
There were tears brimming in her eyes again, and he realized that it was the first time she cried after that time he had caught her secret sobbing.
"I want to know more about Sasuke…"
His heart stung upon hearing his name on her. Barely able to keep control of his own quiver, he whispered, "What… what happened to him? To Sasuke?"
It definitely felt strange to say his own name aloud.
"Jin-san!" There was a frantic look, like she couldn't believe what he had just asked. "You should know the best! You – you…"
She drifted off, and then in defeat, she sighed. "I found you beside Sasuke, who died, by the way."
For some reason, a sharp pain shot through his right hand, and he caressed it unconsciously. Her eyes shifted to his hand, and there was a new curiosity to her voice.
"What happened to your hand, Jin-san?"
Sasuke honestly had no idea, and he just wished it would stop throbbing so much.
"I found no weapons or jutsus that would make such a wound on your right hand." Sakura's brain was spinning, clear and fast.
"With the exception that you used your own jutsu, Jin-san." Her eyes were sparkling dangerously now, almost turning vicious. "Tell me, what jutsu have you used?"
So he and Jin had been found lying beside each other, which meant…. Sakura may be thinking, at this exact moment, that this "Jin" had killed Sasuke.
Except that wasn't true; Sasuke was sure he had never seen Jin before.
And then a raging pain flamed in his hand, and he couldn't help but cry out in agony. Immediately, the viciousness in her jade eyes dissolved away, and she crouched down to inspect his hand.
A warm glow of green calmed down the furious pain, and as she healed him, she whispered, "Jin-san, please, tell me about Sasuke."
"Why?" He croaked out, swallowing the painful screams threatening to be voiced aloud. "Why do you want to know about him? He's dead."
And he's left her, and he's almost killed her… There were so many reasons.
Her voice was soft, yet hard. "I would never forgive myself, Jin-san."
It was implied that she felt guilty for letting him be taken away by the darkness, so easily, while she had cried helplessly.
She gave a one, final squeeze to his hand and she declared, "I'll find out what jutsu you used, Jin-san."
. . .
Already eight days had passed, and still, Sasuke had done nothing special in his second chance at life. But after that confrontation a few days ago, he knew he had to get rid of Sakura's guilt somehow.
She deserved to forgive herself; she had done nothing wrong.
That day, as he lay panting from training under a bare, broken tree, his hand dug into the inside pocket of his jacket and took out a note. Why did he suddenly feel compelled to bring out this note? This jacket was Jin's, and it was eerie how Sasuke found the note now.
What did the note say?
Hastily, he crumpled open the tiny paper, and there was writing written in blood, most likely Jin's.
"Sasuke, it's your uncle, Jincho."
For a second, nothing clicked, but then a sudden apprehension swept through him.
Jincho, long ago, perhaps when Sasuke was four or five years old, was his uncle, his father's brother.
Though Uchiha Jincho was Fugaku's older brother, Jincho had none of the surperior Uchiha powers. Contrasting his great, capable brother, Jincho was weak and he had zero potential for the Sharingan.
Uchiha Jincho was the black sheep of the family, and unable to take the burden, one day, he disappeared from Sasuke's life.
And now, years and years later, Uchiha Sasuke found his (dead) uncle with a new name, Harashi Jin.
Some mysteries seemed to be solved now. But… why had his uncle been in the battlefield? His uncle was as weak as a civilian, and had not even a sufficient storage of chakra.
There were only two days left, and Sasuke thought that maybe he should stop thinking, stop wondering. There was nothing he could do, right?
Later in the evening, Sakura returned, and Sasuke tried to think of something to say. Anything, so that perhaps, he could persuade Sakura to stop feeling guilty and sad and distressed. It got on his nerves too much.
Sakura was supposed to be happy and carefree.
That's why he had left, to make sure none of the darkness he had entered reached her.
It was as he finally decided that he should just trust his instincts and say whatever came to mind, that he noticed Sakura's silence. His eyes narrowed with confusion, thinking of the past few days. Ever since the third day when Sakura had confronted him, she had been oddly quiet, too quiet.
"Sakura."
The pink-haired medic twitched, but when she turned, a soft smile greeted him.
"Yes, Jin-san?"
Sasuke found nothing to say, and hesitantly, as he flexed his healed hand, he spoke, "I feel much better now. Thank you."
She abruptly stilled, and then turned sharply away from him.
"Is that so, Jin-san. That's great to hear." She was mumbling, and though her face was turned away from his view, Sasuke felt something wrong. Instinctively, he reached for the medic and swiftly turned her around.
There were tears decorating her eyes.
His heart stilled, and unconsciously, he held his breath. His hand slowly reached up, and his slender fingers (though they were not his) gently brushed away the teardrops.
When he pulled back his hand, he felt tremulous, and his heart felt like exploding. What had he just done? Whether he was in his own body or Jin's, touching her was unforgivable.
He couldn't taint her.
And then, he broke free from his silent panic, because he felt her intense gaze on him. He shifted uncomfortably, before finally deciding to go take an evening walk or something.
Heh, an evening walk in the battlefield. That was stupid, revolting even, but he had been too close to crossing over the line he had drawn that fateful day years ago.
The night passed silently, and sleep never reached Uchiha Sasuke.
. . .
It was the ninth day. There was only tomorrow left, and everything would be behind him after. It was this morning that Sakura spoke up.
"Let's go to Konoha."
For a second, Sasuke almost declined, because he was too used to pushing against his teammates trying to bring him back to the village.
But Sakura only knew Jin, and not the Sasuke inside him, and really, there was no reason to refuse…
"Hn," he grunted in reply, passively accepting her demand.
It was only the two that travelled, while the rest of the soldiers and medics stayed in the battlefield. That certainly piqued Sasuke's curiosity. Why did Sakura want to go back?
It was a half day's trip back to Konoha, and only that short, because the battlefield had been within the Fire country. After hours of travelling, they paused to rest under a giant tree.
"Sasuke…"
"Hn?" He questioned, in between trying to gasp for breath.
And then his eyes widened, and he slowly, almost reluctantly, turned to face her. What had she called him?
Perhaps it had been his imagination, for in the next moment, she brusquely stood up and urged him, "Let's continue, Jin-san. I want to make it before nightfall."
Before he had a chance to think, a chance to wonder, they were sprinting again, and only the blurry forest passed in his mind.
. . .
"So," Sakura's voice drawled out slowly and carefully, as she absently played with the kunai in her hand. She was nervous about something, he could tell.
After a swing of the kunai, and the satisfying crunch of a tree trunk that it hit perfectly, Sakura questioned.
"Where do you want to die?"
Taken aback by such a sudden, unexpected question, Sasuke gazed suspiciously at her.
"Please tell me it's Konoha," she whispered, and then they continued travelling again, and within an hour, they would arrive at their destination.
. . .
They had arrived, they had eaten, and they had slept. It was morning now, the tenth and final day of his life, and Sasuke had no idea when he would be taken away from Earth.
From Sakura.
Sighing, he decided that it would be best to run away, and leave everyone wondering where Harashi Jin went. They may assume he went missing, and perhaps, they will someday find his dead body.
Sasuke got up, and carefully eyed his surroundings. Sakura had gone to the Hokage to report, and he was alone. It was the perfect chance to run away.
Contrary to his feelings, his body moved toward the main gate, the only entrance and exit in Konoha. Sakura's words replayed in his mind again and again, like a soft lullaby.
It would be nice if he could die here, in Konoha… but he deserved no such thing. His punishment was to die a cold, lonely death, and even that was not severe enough.
From the corner of his eyes, he caught a stone bench. Memories sprang up to him, filling him with the painful (yet longing) images that he desperately wanted to shove away. At about this distance, Sakura had called out to him, to stop him from leaving…
"Wait!"
Abruptly, Sasuke halted, and then berated himself for imagining such things. That had all been in the past now, and he had to leave, before she, and especially she, could witness his death, even if it appeared to be Jin's.
"I told you to wait, damn it!" A high screech sounded from behind, and something came flying to him. A scroll hit the back of his head.
Swallowing thickly, he turned around.
"Sakura?"
"The scroll!" She pointed.
A surge of disappointment shot through him, and instantly, he rebuked himself for that. He had no right to have expected Sakura to really stop him from leaving.
And, as reality has it, she was only giving him a scroll.
Slowly, he reached down and picked up the scroll, carefully turning it this way and that. When he opened it, all he saw were notes of a jutsu. At the bottom was a signature that read, "Jin."
So this was his uncle's notes. But why did she give it to him? Impatiently, his eyes skimmed through, and realized that this scroll explained the complexities behind Jin's jutsu he had used ten days ago.
It was a forbidden jutsu that forced the souls to switch bodies, but that came with grave consequences. The user would die in ten days. So Jin had used that jutsu, at the moment Sasuke lay dying, and everything seemed to have clarified.
He snapped sharply to Sakura, who was approaching him with fuming anger.
She knew.
She knew it was Sasuke underneath Jin's body.
She knew.
His first instinct was to run away, not because she looked angry, because he didn't think he could deal with his feelings. All he felt was a mix of misery and guilt, and he didn't want to cause her pain. He didn't want to see her pain.
"I found that on your third day." She hissed, and Sasuke's heart thumped faster. So the whole strange silence thing was because she had found out.
"Are you leaving again?" That came out as a whisper, though she continued to hold her fierce stare.
He stared back at her blankly, feeling helpless because he had no idea what he should do, and he had no idea when he'll die. The worst part was that Sakura might witness his death, death of Uchiha Sasuke, and not Harashi Jin.
"Will you ever give me answers?" There was a mockery in her voice, but underneath it was pain.
And then, for the first time, everything clarified in his mind. Why had he been trying to push away his memories? Why had he been trying to run away? Why had he been pursuing power, pursuing darkness, and leaving her in bitter sadness?
"No," he spoke determinedly, and not trusting his voice, he spoke aloud again. "No, I am not leaving you." It was a lie, because death would soon get him, but that was the best thing he could say for Sakura.
Suddenly, pain shot throughout him, and he coughed violently. Was this it? But he had more to say, and he hadn't even apologized to her.
But her green eyes twinkled with understanding (or perhaps those were tears), like she knew just what he wanted to say at the moment, and she softly caressed his cheek. Not Jin's cheek, but Uchiha Sasuke's.
Trembling, he reached up, too, so that he could feel her and touch her, but fear took hold of him again. He would taint her with darkness.
So instead, the two stood there, gazing into each others' souls.
His vision faded away, and somewhere, he thought he heard the familiar "Sasuke-teme!" in the background, and he smirked for the final time.
. . .
Sasuke's true place had been with her, in Konoha.
Notes: Oh gosh this took forever so I hope it turned out okay! I wanted to keep Sasuke in character as much as I can, and I have no idea if that made the story better or worse. You know... no "I love you!" confessions or anything... Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, and reviews are greatly appreciated! Thank you!