A/N: This was written for Sakura-chan's birthday (march 28th). Enjoy! :)
EXECUTION 28
stfuSPARKS
"I love you Sasuke-kun. Won't you love me too?"
Today will never come back.
I love you Sasuke-kun.
He swiftly moves.
Please don't hate me.
He aims.
I love you so much.
She runs.
You know I'd do anything for you.
His eyes widen.
Sasuke-kun please.. won't you love me too?
He kills.
It's a fresh spring morning when they confront each other again for the first time in years.
Sakura still has her feelings written all over her face, just like the good old days when they were still innocent genins.
She hasn't changed at all, he thinks.
Yet there is something different about how she wears that expression on her face that startles him. She fiercely stares back at him, her big emerald orbs piercing into him as they sharply contrast with his dark onyx ones. He almost feels tainted as her eyes linger on him for a little too long.
"I'm not here to kill you."
She observes in fascination as his lips slowly move, perfectly enunciating each word. She sees how his face has gotten paler than the last time they saw each other, and she almost smiles when she sees that he still has those high cheekbones that half of the female population in Konoha used to go crazy over.
When the meaning of his words finally reaches her mind, she jolts back to reality as her eyes become wide in curiosity.
"I'm here to kill Naruto."
Oh, so that's it, she muses. Of course he wouldn't be here to kill her, or even for her. Only Naruto deserves his attention, since he's much stronger and she'll only be a waste of time. How silly of her to think that he is here for any other reason than that.
"Sakura-chan, let me handle this! I'm the one he wants to fight, not you!" the blond next to her bravely says, setting a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he takes a step forwards. "You safely watch from a distance, okay? Don't jump in, no matter what!"
His face is completely serious as he warns her, but the glint in his cerulean blue eyes tells him that he already knows that it is useless- she will jump in the moment he is in danger. It is simply her instinct as a medic-nin and a loving friend.
She simply nods and watches as once again, he runs ahead and she's forced to wait behind and watch his back.
She clenches her tiny fists and observes in silence as their battle starts, Sasuke's Sharingan activating and the demon Kyuubi within Naruto surfacing.
For some reason, it hurts more than usual.
Suddenly Naruto is stuck to the tree, as Sasuke's katana pierces through his abdomen and buries itself deep into the bark. Naruto struggles to get the blade out but it's already deeply implanted into the wood, and the wound in his stomach that is staining his orange jacket with his crimson red blood is not helping much.
When Sasuke's right hand starts to crackle with electricity, Sakura loses it.
She will never let Sasuke use the chidori on Naruto.
The next thing she knows, his hand is piercing through her chest and she finds herself staring into his bottomless eyes once again.
"A-ano... Sa-Sakura-chan... I w-was wondering... d-do you need any h-help in the h-hospital?"
Hinata-chan?
Why are you walking away from me?
"So, forehead girl! You're a successful jounin now, congratulations! I never thought that you'd reach that level before me, but I guess that just means I'll have to try harder to catch up, right?"
Ino-pig?
Why aren't you looking at me?
"Sakura-san, I brought you these flowers, as lovely and as fresh as the Springtime youth!"
Lee?
Why are you standing so far away?
"Sorry I'm late, I got lost on the road of life."
Kakashi-sensei?
What's happening?
"Sakura-chan, let's go get some ramen!"
Naruto?
No, come back!
"Sakura… thank you."
SASUKE-KUN!
…
Why…
Why is everyone disappearing?
When her mind shifts back to consciousness, the first thing that hits her is the excrutiating pain that racks her entire body.
The pain in her chest is nearly unbearable as it intensifies.
What's going on?
She tries to open her eyes but all she can see are blurry figures. The pain is making her sight haze over, but she thinks she can barely make out a familiar face looking down at her.
She closes her eyes again and takes a couple of deep breaths, choking on her own blood when it gets stuck in her throat.
When she opens her eyes again, her sight is a little bit clearer.
Are those... are those Sasuke-kun's eyes?
Is he holding her in his arms?
She blinks several times and the pain seems to disappear altogether for a moment as she recognizes the face in front of her.
It's Sasuke-kun.
Is she hallucinating?
"You're annoying." he mutters harshly, his beautiful eyes narrowing into a frown. She manages to weakly smile at him when the pain returns, perhaps even stronger than before. She is indeed in his arms, as he holds her tight in his strong grip. She would almost think that he is holding her lovingly, but she knows better than that- he probably just wants her out of the way.
Yes, she thinks. She is never going to be anything more than an annoyance to him.
That's why-
That's why Sasuke-kun, just bear with me for one last time.
Her hands move to gently caress his cheek, her fingers softly ghosting over his rough skin as she presses her soft lips warmly against his firm chapped ones.
The air is cold, but not as cold as the look of betrayal on Naruto's face.
When they separate, she leans her head onto his chest as she feels her entire world turn going fuzzy.
It might be because she's about to die, or maybe it's just the butterflies that are violently fluttering around in her stomach.
"I love you, Sasuke-kun." she whispers her confession to him one last time.
She feels her entire body grow weak as her hand falls back to rest by her side again.
"Don't live with regrets..."
She smiles one last time.
"Because today will never come back."
With those last words, her eyes slowly flutter shut, his steady heartbeat lulling her into her eternal sleep.
Kakashi is too late once again.
When he arrives, Naruto is bloody and wounded.
Sasuke looks absolutely lifeless as a blank expression overcomes his face.
But the worst one out of them all, is poor, poor Sakura-chan.
"Sorry kids. I got lost on the road of life."
This time, there is no teasing tone to accompany his words, nor does he smile behind his mask. Naruto is sobbing so hard that he can't even crack a classic 'liar' to him, and Sasuke does not even bother to acknowledge the man he hasn't seen in years.
Kakashi simply watches as his Team 7 slowly crumbles to pieces right before his eyes.
"Sasuke." Kakashi calmly calls out to his student, and the Uchiha lifts his eyes to finally look at his ex-teacher. When the sunlight finally hits his eyes, he starts to scream in agony as he clutches his head in pain.
He covers his face with his hands as he falls to his knees, the pain in his eyes unbearable. It is a horrible feeling that burns his insides, and nothing else in his entire life can compare to the pain inside of him right now.
He screams one more time before lifting his head up again.
Kakashi can only numbly watch as the three tomoes in Sasuke's Sharingan smoothly blend together as they become one wheel.
The Mangekyou Sharingan.
You can obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan only if you kill your most important person.
The person closest to you.
Itachi killed Shishui.
Sasuke killed Sakura.
Oh, the irony of it all, Kakashi thinks. Sakura had always been the only one who reached Sasuke in ways that no one else ever could- just to end up dead at his hands.
Realization strikes Sasuke right in the face as he screams, violently pounding his fist onto the ground.
He has become just like his brother.
He shows no signs of protesting as Kakashi ties both of his hands with an unbreakable string of chakra. Kakashi-sensei is a jounin of Konoha, and Sasuke is a missing-nin. Kakashi-sensei can do nothing but follow the orders that have been given to him.
"Naruto, take Sakura." Kakashi says in a gentle yet demanding tone, soothing Naruto yet at the same time warning him that they do not have much time to waste.
The Kyuubi vessel grimaces as he pulls out the katana's blade from his body, blood spurting out of his wound as he does so. He slightly winces, but this wound will never compare to the pain in his heart.
He walks over to where Sakura's still figure lies, looking as peaceful as ever.
She looks like she could be sleeping.
He tries to restrain his sobs as he picks her up, burying his face into her hair as he quietly lets it all out.
A smile is gracing her lips.
The day after they return to Konoha, Kakashi enters the cold dungeons to visit Sasuke's cell.
"Are you having fun Sasuke?"
The raven haired boy furiously hisses at him, and Kakashi knows that it's probably a bad idea to taunt him- but he can't help but to do so. After all, the boy deserves all the pain he can get after killing off their only female teammate.
Sasuke's eyes are still crimson.
"You can't deactivate your Sharingan?" Kakashi asks almost curiously, as he calmly raises an eyebrow. "That's strange, we should have sealed all of your chakra when you first entered Konoha."
"Do you think that I would still have it if I had any control over it?" Sasuke snaps, and Kakashi feels a part of him slightly break.
This is not his student. This is not the same twelve year old that was once on his team, eager to learn more every single day. The Sasuke that he knows would never kill Sakura, or even attack Naruto with such killing intent. He tries to ignore it, but the hatred for this little boy starts to quickly increase. He briefly wonders if this is how Sasuke felt when he lost his entire family.
"You are indeed just like your brother."
Sasuke growls in an almost animalistic manner as he tries to charge at the grey-haired man, attempting to break through the steel bars that surround him- but they've sealed his chakra and there's no way he can break them down with his natural strength alone. Kakashi already knows this, and he stands still, not even batting an eyelash as the skin on the Uchiha's fist splits open.
Bright red blood slowly trickles down his hand.
"Your execution will be in a week." Kakashi calmly tells him, before turning around to leave.
"I'll see you again at your execution."
Kakashi lied.
He is back again the next day, out of sheer curiosity. He can't help but wonder how his former pupil is doing.
When he reaches the Uchiha's jail cell, the walls are battered down; the blood that stains the edges clearly indicates that Sasuke has punched the wall down with his strength alone, without the use of chakra. Kakashi is slightly impressed.
He will never change.
Sasuke's hands are raw and bloody, but he doesn't care as he runs down the empty road towards his only sanctuary.
The building looks familiar. He can already smell her scent as he approaches the front gates of the apartment complex; he is running up the stairs to where her home is, and he finds the spare key that she always keeps under her mat, just in case her clumsiness causes her to lose her keys again. She never thought he listened to her ramblings, but he remembers every single thing that she has ever said to him.
He enters her house and makes sure to quietly close the door behind him as he slowly makes his way to the small room that makes his heart painfully clench.
Her room is exactly how he remembers it to be. Nothing has changed since they were twelve.
His ruby red eyes scan over the room, and they land on something that is out of place on her neatly organized desk. There is one lone envelope that is lying in the center, waiting to be opened by prying hands, such as his.
The letter is addressed to Naruto, but he opens it anyways with shaky hands, his blood staining the clean material.
Dear Naruto, is scribbled in her familiar neat yet girly handwriting.
No...
Hey buddy. We're leaving for our mission tomorrow- if you're reading this, it'll probably be after we come back. I have to admit, I'm pretty excited!
It's our first retrieval mission, right? Well, I mean our first retrieval mission together, duh. Heh, who would've thought that Tsunade-shishou would let us go after Sasuke-kun? Well I guess that you're the only one who can knock some sense into him, and you'll be lost without me on your team.
I've been training for years for this moment, Naruto. I am no longer that little twelve year old genin who is too preoccupied with her looks to actually learn how to fight. I will no longer watch from the back- this time, I will stand by your side and we'll step forwards together. When Sasuke-kun left to find Orochimaru and you left with Jiraiya-sama to train, I decided that it was about time I grew up as well.
You and I will combine forces, and this time I will make sure that Sasuke-kun will be returning to Konoha with us!
If you're reading this... it probably means I'm dead. If I didn't die on the mission, you won't be reading this in the first place because I'll rip it up as soon as I get home!
But you never know. This mission is going to be dangerous, and in a shinobi's life, one can never be too sure. I didn't want to risk leaving without saying goodbye.
I'm honestly happy, Naruto. If I die on this mission, it means that I died for Sasuke-kun, right? And it means that you'll be by my side too. I know that back in our genin days, all I ever did was talk about Sasuke-kun; but I've come to the realization that somewhere along the lines, I fell in love with him. Not in love with his appearance, but for who he is. Just like I came to learn that you are truly an amazing person inside.
Our time with Team 7 was short, but it was perfect. I had the best times of my life.
Tell Kakashi-sensei that I forgive him for all those times he was late. And tell Lee that I appreciated his gestures and that his love for me was something admirable. Tell Hinata-chan to go on with her dream and to become braver. Tell Ino-pig I'm sorry that I won't be able to be there when she becomes a joujin like me, and tell Kiba that he'll have to find someone else to look after Akamaru now that I'm gone. Tell Tsunade-shishou that I give her my sincere gratitude for being my mentor during these past two years. And if Sasuke-kun is there with you...
Tell him I love him.
Ew, I'm crying now. I haven't cried since the night Sasuke-kun left! I hate crying, it makes me feel so weak. Well I guess I can make an exception this time, right?
I feel so stupid. I might not even die which means I'm writing this letter for absolutely nothing.
I'm sure that Sasuke-kun will return with us this time. I believe in him, and I know that sometimes you have your doubts, but please try to believe in him as well.
After all, he is nothing like his brother.
Naruto, let's go get lost on the road of life together.
I will always love you, Kakahi-sensei, and Sasuke-kun.
You are my family.
Forever yours,
Sakura.
A feeling of pure disgust washes over him as he roughly sets the letter back onto the desk.
He has the urge to rip his eyes out.
... he is nothing like his brother.
...nothing like his brother.
...like his brother.
...nothing...like...his...brother...
The day of his execution quickly approaches.
Sasuke has been missing for a couple of days, and a team of ANBU has been dispatched to go find him outside the walls of Konoha. Everyone assumes he has escaped, but to their surprise, he shows up on his own at the main square of the village.
Several shinobi crouch into offensive stances, but Tsunade raises her hand as if to stop them.
The crowd is vehemently whispering as they gather around the platform, awaiting for the Uchiha to walk towards the center. There is a little path that is formed for him to walk through. His steps are slow yet firm as the people around him hungrily stare at him. He doesn't pay them any attention- yet he stops in his tracks when he spots a familiar shade of shocking orange in the crowd.
"Naruto."
He walks towards the blond, who is currently looking at him with a blank expression. For once, Naruto does not yell out in response. Something inside him has changed forever, and everyone has noticed it. Then again, he doubts that any of them will ever be the same again.
The Uchiha then does something unexpected- he holds out his hand. Naruto understands, because they're best friends after all, and he fishes out a treasure of the past from the depths of his pockets.
It's Sasuke's old headband, in all its scratched glory.
He does not wear it- however, he holds it tightly in his left hand as he starts to walk again.
His back is facing Naruto now, yet he does not turn around to face his friend as he speaks again.
"You'll be a great Hokage one day, Naruto." he quietly says.
Naruto finally cracks a smile at him. It's broken and not as bright as it used to be, but it's still there- it's been so long since Sasuke has seen it.
It's finally time.
Sasuke is walking up the steps in no time, and Naruto's yells for them to stop this execution fall deaf on Tsunade's ears as her chakra filled hand is ready to lightly touch him on the chest to stop his heartbeat.
She looks tired. She think she might be getting a little too old for this job- she wonders if she should retire. One glance at Naruto tells her that she has to hang in there a little big longer- he still isn't quite ready to be Hokage yet. He still doesn't understand that being a good Hokage doesn't mean being a generous one. He will have to face decisions like these one day, when he will have to condemn people that are close to him.
Tsunade doesn't want to do it either. She will never admit it out loud, but there is something about Team 7 that hits a little too close to home for her liking. Yet she cannot make any exceptions; she could have saved him if he had just returned home, but the loss of Sakura's life is something that she cannot forgive so easily.
She seems to hesitate for a moment.
The crowd is anxiously waiting for her to start speaking. She starts to feel a little sick- there's something caught in her throat.
"Uchiha Sasuke. Today, date March 28th, is the day of your execution. You are being charged with treason to the village and the murder of Haruno Sakura. Do you have any last words?"
Her words are clear and strong, but her voice seems to falter for a moment when she mentions her pupil's death.
He lifts his red eyes up to face the sky.
"Today is Sakura's birthday."
The crowd quiets down at the mere sound of the pink haired girl's name. His voice is low and deep, but everyone strains to listen to his words nonetheless.
Naruto's eyes are tearing up by now, and Ino has been sobbing ever since the execution process started.
He decides that it is now or never.
"I am not afraid to die. My most important person is waiting for me on the other side."
Several people gasp and murmurs break out throughout the crowd as he gives his confession. His face remains carefully blank, but his red eyes are full of a determination that Naruto has never seen in him before, not even for his revenge.
The blond smiles knowingly at his best friend.
I knew even before you did, his gaze says.
"If it is possible," Sasuke quietly says under his breath so only Tsunade can hear. "I would like my eyes removed and thrown into the river after my death."
The Hokage numbly nods at his request. It is unusual, but she can see why when he glances at her with those horrifying eyes.
Sasuke looks straight at Naruto as Tsunade finally prepares for the final step.
"I will die without any regrets." Sasuke says numbly, his crimson eyes piercing into Naruto's blue ones.
"Because today will never come back."
Sasuke unexpectedly gives Naruto a small smile.
Then, it's all over.
When they carry the body away from the platform, Sasuke's right hand is still tightly clutching a crumpled picture of Team 7 in his hand.
The citizens of Konoha forever named this date as 'Execution 28'.
Nowadays, when the young children of Konoha ask about Execution 28, there are many different versions of the story that are different from one another.
But if you go ask the Rokudaime, the current Hokage of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto for the story behind Execution 28, he will tell you a tragic tale about two lovers who were destined to fall unexpectedly in love. He will tell you a long story of how it all started, and how it all ended. He will tell you a story about two people who got lost on the road of life.
But most importantly-
He will tell you the tragic love tale of Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke.
Today will never come back.