"Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge."
"Sakura-chan, you know that this is the only way. You have to fight him, you have to end this."
The Hokage's eyes gleamed with guilt as she observed her pupils reaction to the news.
"Tsunade-sama, please, I understand completely. I'm not coming back after this mission ends, and I'm okay with that. Its an honor to die for ones village." Sakura remained impassive as the words crawled through her lips. She wanted to be strong. She wanted to be a hero. She also wanted to come home after everything was over. She wanted to come home…with him…
Tsunade nodded her head matter-of-factly, shaking away all of the earlier second thoughts and hesitations. She knew Sakura wouldn't fail her, but it was such a shame to loose such a valuable member of their society. As Tsunade inspected the youth's face before her she could ultimately tell that Sakura wanted to do this, by the determination that shone through her calm façade.
"You may take your leave now, be ready to fill your position in an hour. The siege is already underway, but we need you to be completely unharmed beforehand to make this work."
Sakura nodded her head and got up slowly. When she reached the door, she paused slightly, giving her mentor a sidelong glace over her shoulder.
"I'm going to miss you, Tsunade-shisho."
And then she was gone.
"Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind."
The time had arrived to take her position. With clear eyes, and a heavy heart, she stealthily made her way towards her target. She was going to end this once and for all. Running quickly along the edges of the heated battle, she masked her chakra, trying to go about being unseen. If anyone else caught her before she reached her target it would me the demise of Kahona. She owed it to herself and to the village to not let that happen.
Ever.
As she arrived on a wooded enclosure, she knew it was almost time. She could feel him, his hungry power, sucking away the life around them. It was time for a little reunion.
She summoned her chakra to her fists as a hand grabbed her waist.
"Nani!" She hissed, turning to face her interruption. Ino's face fell as Sakura's intense glare penetrated her.
"I'm here to help you," Ino whispered silently, "I'm not letting my best friend go out for a suicide mission!"
Sakura sighed, she was so close, and yet so very far away from finishing what she came for. She cracked a wry smile at Ino, squeezing her arm softly.
"I need to do this. Alone. I can't let you sacrifice yourself in a battle that isn't yours."
Ino sniffed back tears and threw her arms around Sakura. How could Tsunade let something like this happen to her star pupil? How could everyone just throw Sakura away?
The set determination that burned in those emerald eyes told Ino the ugly truth, though. She had to let Sakura go.
"I'm going to miss you billboard-brow." Ino cried softly.
"Not more than I will Ino-pig!"
"Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . . "
'I'm getting closer.'
Her pulse quickened at the revelation. She was moments away from her death, from their death, and she was getting excited. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins egging her on.
She was almost there.
Hoping from tree to tree, she tried fervently to catch glances of "Hawk" or the Akatsuki, anything that would tell her how close her demise was.
A tree branch snapped behind her and jerked around, only to have a pair of powerful hands glom her neck. She withered from the grasp, attempting escape, but it was futile, hopeless.
"We meet again Sa-ku-ra."
" Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. "
"Little cherry blossom, you're as weak as ever I see," The dark voice proclaimed darkly, "Such a disappointment you must be to your Hokage."
Sakura could feel her eyes begin to roll back in her head as her lungs continued to scream helplessly for air.
"What is it 'hakuchi-niiro'? Cat got your tongue?"
It couldn't end like this! What would happen to the village? All of her friends? Her family?
Summoning all the chakra to her foot, she steered a clear kick at her attackers abdomen. He reeled back in evasion, releasing his grasp from her throat. Her burning lungs drank up the oxygen quickly, like a sponge to water.
"Tisk, tisk, Sakura-chan, you're not being very compliant today."
Struggling to get her jagged breathing pattern back to normal, she became vulnerable once again.
He cocked his head at her, looking, without really seeing, at what lay before him.
"Tch, pitiful, lets end this now."
The attacker revealed his hidden chokutō, using his Chidori to extend the blade.
Sakura looked up at him, eyes filled with daunting hatred.
"It's not going to be over until I say it is." She spat at him, disgusted with what she saw before her. He smirked, amused with her outburst.
Sakura regained her footing and began to charge him, fist poised in the air.
"You are going to die today Uchiha!"
His face remained impassive as he watched her send a punch into the ground, causing an earthquake. He jumped into the air quickly, dodging the attack.
"You can't win this. Kanashibari no jutsu!" Yelled Sasuke, quickly making hand signs.
"Ara?" Sakura stopped short, falling to her knees, as she pictured her own death, fear immobilizing her.
"If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;"
Sasuke raised his blade gracefully, as he jumped down from the tree.
"Where were we, Sakura-chan?"
There was blood, so much blood. She couldn't move, she was being sliced, decapitated; by the person she loved the most. She was already dead.
Sasuke brought his weapon down to her face, and tipped her chin upward with it. He could see how much fear was swimming in her eyes. He laughed darkly. Her reaction was so priceless. How he loved the affect he had on her. How he loved how easily she failed when it came to him.
His pure little cherry blossom, about to be tainted.
~How pretty she'd look with red on her body.~
As he was about to slice her, she jolted forward, crushing his ribs with her fist.
His eyes grew round as saucers at the sudden impact. It should have been impossible for her to move!
"If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, "
"I'm not that weak girl you left behind, you arrogant bastard."
Sasuke blinked hard at this new prospect. He no longer had the upper hand, and that severed his pride greatly.
Sakura delivered another blow to the Uchiha, who barley dodged it in time.
Cringing from his broken ribs, he retreated a safe distance from her, trying to turn the tables on the situation at hand.
She ran at him again, attacking his vital chakra points, making him weaker, making him suffer.
He mentally cursed at her actions. Why couldn't he get in control again? How was she beating him?
She smirked at his disbelieving expression etched across his usually stoic face.
"I do love you, Sasuke-kun, but now its time to end this."
Eyes locking on his, she stared into the onyx abyss as she crashed her lips onto his, falling into his darkness. He returned her affections with a newfound passion, knowing he would never feel her touch again after tonight. How long he had been denying himself of her company.
Too long, but it was too late.
Tears were streaming, mixing with the blood that ran down her face. She finally realized how much she didn't want to do this. She looked up at Sasuke's face and found him smiling softly. He had finally realized his truth.
"It's okay…finish your mission Sakura….chan…"
With one last embrace she tightened her arms around his body, piercing them both with his chokutō. His eyes widened at the pain, and his heart clenched, knowing that it was all over.
"I'm so sorry Sasuke-kun, but this is the end of our story."
"My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori."
A/N:
Kanashibari no jutsu: Used to immobilize enemies. It submits an extremely large amount of fear into the target, Usually the fear of dying in battle. They picture their own death. The fear stops them and freezes them in their tracks.
Dulce et Decorum est pro patria mori : A quote from the latin poet Horace meaning "It is sweet and proper to die for one's country."
chokutō: a type of Japanese sword that dates back to pre-Heian times
'hakuchi-niiro': Red idiot
DISCLAIMER:
I do NOT own Naruto
Naruto (c) Mashashi Kishimoto
I do NOT own the peom used (Dulce et Decorum Est)
Dulce et Decorum Est (c) Wilfred Owen Please comment, they make me write!
You don't have to have an account to comment:]