Hey everyone! This is a oneshot that I wrote, and I am totally in LOVE with this piece. I think it's one of my more well written stories. I was inspired by two things. One of them was a song that I heard once, while my mother was watching Criminal Minds. I HIGHLY suggest that you listen to it while reading this because it really sets the mood. Go to youtube and search: brother by road hawgs piano
I'd post the link here... but fanfiction won't let me. DX
The second thing that inspired me is something one of my friends found out. I'll tell you at the end of the story so I don't give anything away. ;P
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this story, and I'd really appreciate it if you review it!
Rays of sunlight stretch over the mountains, reaching across the silent town of Konoha. Crickets still chirp from their hiding places, playing the last remaining notes of their songs. Up in the trees birds start to come to life, flying across town to find food for their young ones.
A young shinobi wanders the streets after waking up too early, even for her taste. She tossed and turned all night, trapped inside nightmare after nightmare. Finally, her body woke her up, making her unable to sleep even though she was not well rested at all.
She walks the streets in silence, kicking a pebble with the tip of her sandal as she strolls along. Her short pink hair is tied back in a ponytail in hopes of keeping the back of her neck cool. All throughout the night, the summer heat lingered and only cooled down a little after the sun went down. Sweat clung to her body all night, even after kicking the sheets off. Beads of perspiration still linger on her forehead and the back of her neck, sliding down into her shirt.
Light bursts through the spaces between the buildings, illuminating the streets with a beautiful golden glow.
On such a peaceful morning you would not think that a terrible tragedy happened this day ten years ago.
She had almost forgotten what day it was until she looked at the date on the calendar. Perhaps that is why she had been so restless that night. Or perhaps it was the look on her teammate's face before they had all gone home to sleep.
That expression on his face had only been there for a second; if she had blinked at that exact moment, she wouldn't have seen it. It was an expression she'll never forget though. It was the first time he had shown any true emotion since he returned home.
When their blonde haired teammate and friend had said: "See you guys tomorrow!", that expression crossed his face.
His dark brows pulled together, the ends raising up over the bridge of his nose. Those mysterious, obsidian eyes of his became glossy as they widened, reminding her of a sad, vulnerable child. His lips parted slightly as they curved into a frown, and she can remember seeing the whites of his teeth shining in the light from the shop next to them.
Then it was gone.
His eyes hardened, his dark brows straightened, and his mouth closed, showing no sign of the expression they had just held.
After all they've been through these past few years, she couldn't have even imagined that he could have such a look on his face. She had gotten so used to seeing the cold look of hatred, or that everyday look of indifference, it was startling to see an expression like that.
He must be hurting so much more than he lets on, even after all these years. If only there were some way to comfort him. He always shies away every time someone tries to show some sort of affection towards him.
By mistake, she suddenly kicks the pebble too far and loses sight of it. She lets out a sigh and then looks up to identify her surroundings. Her eyes grow wide when she sees the old, cracked buildings of the abandoned section of the city.
Vines wind up the walls, sometimes weaving through the cracks to the other side. Even though most of the markings have begun to fade, she can still see the red and white fan painted on the buildings. Weeds have sprouted up through the streets, and trash lays scattered all over the ground. Most of it is made up of broken bottles and crushed cans. Two buildings down from her, she can see the old building that had belonged to the police department.
On the side of the building, in red spray paint that had dripped, making it look eerily like blood, someone had written the word "TRAITORS" on it. Perhaps the worst thing about that spray-painted word is that it looks fresh, like it had been done a couple weeks ago.
She presses the tips of her fingers to her lips in shock as tears well up in her eyes.
How could people be so cruel and heartless? If her teammate had seen this he'd go berzerk.
A noise from behind grabs her attention. She whips her head around to see the source of it but she only sees a dark house several yards away from her. Curiosity gets the better of her and she decides to explore it.
Even though she steps onto the porch as carefully and quietly as she can, it still lets out a loud creak in protest to her weight. She glances around to see if the noise had caused anything to stir. After a moment, when everything remains still, she puts her other foot up and opens the sliding door in front of her.
Sunlight illuminates the room in front of her through the open crack in the doorway. All she sees is a hallway with four different sliding doors, three on the right side, and one on the left. She takes a step forward but almost trips on something. Looking down to see what her foot caught, she sees a pair of sandals. They look like they had been placed neatly against the wall until she had tripped over them.
A lump grows in her throat as her stomach twists into an uneasy knot. She recognizes those sandals.
She moves the sandal back next the other one and takes off her sandals too, putting them next to the other ones. The contrast between the two pairs is almost startling. Her sandals are so tiny compared to the other ones.
A muffled sound jolts her out of her trance. She looks up. It had come from the room on the left.
Carefully, she creeps into the hallway and places her hand on the door. She closes her eyes and slowly takes in a breath of air as her heart drums loudly in her ears. Then, before she can give it a second thought, she slides open the door.
In the center of the empty room, she sees some sort of white figure hiding in the shadows between two beams of sunlight coming from the windows. She squints her eyes to see it better and realizes that it's shuttering.
She swallows hard around the growing lump in her throat and steps forward. The floorboard beneath her foot lets out a loud, agonizing creak, and before she can blink, the figure had leaped across the room.
She stares at him, her emerald green eyes wide. He stares back, his obsidian eyes wide too, and wet with moisture.
That very same expression from the previous night is back, and unlike last time, it's remaining on his face. She almost wishes it would disappear. Seeing this expression on his face is almost too painful for her to endure.
"S-Sasuke," she says quietly, her voice shaking slightly. She takes another step forward.
"Don't come near me!" He shouts, his voice harsh, ringing out in the bitter silence of the house.
She looks down, noticing something in his hand. Her eyes grow even wider when she sees a kunai in his right hand and, darting her eyes to his left hand, sees a trail of blood trickling down his wrist.
"Sasuke!" She shouts, her eyes brimming with tears now. "What did you do?"
"GET OUT!" He shouts, somehow even louder than before.
She flinches, closing her eyes for a second. Looking back up at him, her hands tighten up into fists as she stomps her foot down on the ground. "NO!" She shouts back. "I'm sick and tired of you rejecting any sign of affection that Naruto or I give you. We're your friends, even after everything that happened. We're here to help you and support you. You don't have to go through everything alone anymore."
He just stares at her, his teeth clenched tightly together. The blood on his wrist trickles down his fingers and begins to drip onto the floor, creating a small crimson pool.
She cautiously takes another step towards him. When he doesn't move or say anything she takes another, and another.
His lips close and his brows straighten, but are still pulled together, creating a dark line across his forehead. A desperate look glistens in his eyes as he watches her approach her.
When she's two feet in front of him she looks down at his wrist and then back up at his face. "May I see it?"
He doesn't respond, but he looks away from her.
She carefully grasps his wrist, making sure not to touch his cut, and moves it up in front of her so she can see it. Biting her tongue, she tries not to gasp at the sight.
In the flesh of his arm, he had carved out the very same word she had seen outside just a few moments ago.
TRAITOR.
A tear rolls down her cheek, but she quickly wipes it away, hoping he didn't see it. She puts her hand over his wrist, allowing it to hover a few inches above it, and her hand begins to glow as she starts healing it with her chakra.
He looks back down, watching as the cuts in his wrist begin to mend back together, until there is no trace of them at all. She releases his wrist when she is done and looks up at him.
He stares back at her, losing himself deep down into her green eyes.
Before he can react, she suddenly wraps her arms tightly around him, burying her face into his chest. "Please, Sasuke," she says, her voice muffled. "Don't do that again."
He can feel tears seeping through his shirt.
"You're not alone anymore, so stop acting like it. And you're not a traitor."
"Then what am I?" He asks, his voice low.
She looks up at him and a tear streams down her cheek. "You're a hero. If it weren't for what you did in the war, we'd all be dead."
He stares silently down at her. Then, ever so slowly, he begins to awkwardly move his arms around her and allows them to rest on her waist. She puts her head back into his chest and he pulls her tighter against him. Resting his chin against the top of her head, he looks out the window of the house.
He may not be officially considered a traitor to Konoha anymore, but in his eyes, he will always remain a traitor to his clan and his friends. How could they be so forgiving of him? He almost murdered everyone on his team on different occasions. Yet, here they are, still accepting him back as if nothing had ever happened.
He doesn't deserve any of this after everything he's done. His life should be full of suffering and pain, just like what he put all his loved ones through.
Yet here he is, back in his old town with his old team. He could lead a happy life if he truly wanted to. That must mean something, right? The only person making him suffer now is himself.
Perhaps... Just maybe... He should start learning how to forgive himself.
"Sakura," he whispers, and buries his face into her pink hair. It smells very sweet, like vanilla and strawberries. Although he's been known to dislike sweet things, this smell is comforting to him. It reminds him of a time before he became all consumed by his hatred and thirst for revenge. Even though he wasn't entirely happy then, those are the best memories he has.
"Yes?" He can feel her breath tickle his throat. It feels warm against his flesh that somehow had remained somewhat chilled, despite the hot summer weather.
He closes his eyes and swallows hard.
"Thank you."
Well I hope you all enjoyed this piece. I know it's a little messed up and perhaps out of character for Sasuke, but that's where my second part of inspiration comes in! My friend realized (after seeing a picture on the internet), that Sasuke ALWAYS has his arms covered up after the massacre happened. I'm sure that's probably far from the reason as to why his arms are always covered up, but you never know. I wonder if Kishimoto did that intentionally or without realizing it. Knowing him, it was completely intentional, lol.
Anyway, thanks for reading and please give it a review if/when you have the time! 3