The Forgotten Memory
I layed down in the empty field of grass, looking up at the sky as I began thinking. Thinking about everything that has happened to me, memories flying through my head. Most of them were painful, I just wished I could forget about them but I couldn't. But, there was also some loving memories of me, my parents, and my brother Itachi.
I then slowly began drifting away to sleep only to sit up and look around me, trying to make sure no one was around. I had left my group a few days ago, deciding to make my way back to Konohoa all by myself, and I wanted to be sure they weren't following me at all. After I looked around and didn't see anyone, I layed back down and then slowly began drifting away. My memories then began flooding my head as soon as I closed my eyes.
(Author's Note: Sorry if some of the memories are out of order. I tried my very best to put them in their correct sequence.)
I remember my father, Fugaku Uchiha, teaching me our clan's signature technique: Fire Style: Fireball Justu. The first time I attempted it, I could only produce a small flame, which dissapointed my father who told me that when he taught Itachi, he produced a great flame on the very first try. I was even disappointed in myself. A few days later, I attempted the jutsu again, this time producing a greater flame than I had last time. My father was proud, telling me my flame was bigger than Itachi's.
"Sorry Sasuke. Maybe some other time." Itachi said to me, poking me in the forehead with two fingers, something he always did when we were younger.
"We are brothers. I am the wall you must climb over, so you and I will continue to exist together."
My mother, Mikoto, talking to me about father: "When your father talks to me, he only talks about you."
Itachi's final words to me when I arrived after he had killed our entire clan and only sparing me: "Foolish brother! If you want to kill me, curse me! Hate me! And live a long and unsightly life. Run away. Run away and cling to your pitiful life. And then someday, when you had the same eyes as I do, come before me."
"You must kill your closest friend.."
I winced at his words. Even though this was a memory from my past, it still hurt me as it did that night.
"Sasuke! Hey Sasuke! How are you? Do you want to sit next to me?! Oh my gosh you're so cute!"
I chuckled, remembering all those girls that used to follow me around and praise me for every little thing that I did, even though I paid no attention to them at all.
"
Hi Sasuke! Um.. can I sit next to you?"
asked Sakura just a few minutes before we were named team mates, along with Naruto Uzumaki. When she asked me that question, it started to ensue an arguement with all the girls in the class who wanted to sit next to me, which I thought was stupid. Then I remember Naruto getting ticked off about it and getting in my face, only to fall foward after someone bumped him from behind, causing us to
"kiss." I just shuddered at that thought!
On the day we finally met our teacher, Kakashi, and he asked us what our dreams and goals were, I confessed to each one of them that I didn't have any dreams, just to restore my clan and seek revenge on a certain someone.
Orochimaru biting me on the neck during our chunin exam, branding me with the Cursed Seal of Heaven
.
"STOP!"
Sakura yelled, running after me, then wrapped her arms around me from behind, trying to stop me from killing the rest of the Sound ninjas after my Cursed Seal took effect.
"You better rescue Sakura no matter what! I've already lost everything once. I don't want to ever have to see that again."
Fighting Gaara as he began turning into his one- tailed beast, only to have Naruto take my place after I got injured, which pissed me off to no extent, obsessing over how much Naruto had became stronger in such a short period of time. After I had recovered in the hospital, I forced Naruto to fight me and right before we almost clashed together, Kakashi managed to stop us from almost killing each other.
Walking towards the gates of Konohoa, getting ready to seek Orochimaru out so I could become stronger, only to run into Sakura, who tried to persuade me not to go. She really was so annoying. She even told me she would join me in my quest for revenge, and.. that she loved me. That really made me stop and think about what she said. I had never really known what love was for a long time. I knew it when my clan and my family was still alive, but after that night, I no longer felt emotion for anything.
I turned around and looked at her and told her she was annoying, then I began to walk away again. As I did, I heard her run a few steps behind me and yell at me, telling me she would scream and alert the village of my leaving. I then disappeared then reappeared behind her. She stopped yelling as we both stood there quietly.
"Sakura... thank you." Were my last words to her as I knocked her unconscious, then layed her on the bench where I had first called her annoying after we had became teammates, tears still streaming down her face.
I stared down at my old team's new member, Sai, whom they replaced me with, as Sakura came running out the tunnel, grabbing him by his shirt and yelling at him before I interrupted her.
"Sakura." I said and she immediately silenced and slowly turned her head to look at me. She kept looking at me 'till Naruto ran out the same tunnel and stopped in his tracks once he saw that they weren't moving and turned his head in the direction they were looking. We hadn't seen each other in about two and a half years until now. We just kept looking at each other. I knew I had changed and so have they. Naruto was taller now and looked like he really had trained for the last few years. Sakura was a little bit taller now, but Naruto towered over her by just a few inches. Her hair was still in the same cut it had been last time I saw her, and she was different. She was.. fierce. Both of them.
My mind continued racing with my memories.
"What is it with you, huh? Just what in the hell do you want from me?! Why are you so fixated on me?!" I yelled at Naruto, demanding to know why he tried so hard to stop me.
"Because you're my friend."He replied, leaving me speechless.
"Sorry Sasuke, but this is it."Itachi said to me as he poked my forehead one last time, dying soon after our final battle.
"We're going to destroy the Hidden Leaf village!"
"Maybe you could've changed father, mother,.. the Uchiha Clan... If I'd faced you honestly from the very beginning.. If we told each other the truth, as equals... I failed. I won't put myself above you and tell you this and that. It's too late." Itachi's reincarnated soul said to me as he slowly walked towards me, his hand outstretched at me. His hand stopped just in front of me. I thought he was going to poke me in the forehead once more, but he didn't. "So this time, for once, let me tell you one small truth. It's all right if you never forgive me." He put his hand on the back of my head, clasped the back it, and gently leaned my head towards his so our foreheads were both touching. "But, no matter what you become, I will always love you."
"Sasuke.." A voice said to me, interrupting me from my thoughts. I woke up, sitting straight up, but I didn't see anyone. I looked around me but I didn't see anything or anyone. Literally! It was like I was in some sort of room where all I could see was light.
Sasuke." I heard the voice once more. The voice sounded so familiar.
"Sasuke." Said the voice once more, only this time, it was clearer and more closer. I then realized it was coming from behind me! I spun around, my hand on my sword, ready to draw it out.
Once I saw who it was, my eyes widened in shock. I let go of my sword and both of my hands immediately began to shake. The one who stood before me, was no one else other than my mother.
"Hi sweetie." She said sweetly to me, smiling at me. Now, my whole body was shaking. I couldn't move a muscle at all. I was in complete shock.
"M-mother?" My voice quivered. I was scared, nervous, confused, and happy. I took a step forward, but instead of feeling my foot on the ground, I felt my legs give out, and I began falling forward. I instinctively put my hands out to keep from falling on my face when I suddenly felt arms wrap around my body. I felt myself land on my knees. I could hear myself panting hard and loud. I must've been doing that for a while 'till I felt a hand on my face.
"Sasuke, sweetie, you need to calm down." My mother said to me. "You're hyperventilating."
Calm down? How was I going to calm down when I just saw my own mother, my mother who's been dead for years, standing in front of me in the flesh, holding me while I was on my knees, and having trouble getting my breathing under control. I hadn't been this way in a long time and I felt weak, pitiful. I began taking slow, short breaths so I could control my breathing once more. As soon as I got it under control, she grabbed my hand and helped pull me up so I was standing on both feet. I looked back up at her. She hadn't changed at all. She still looked the same as she had the last time I saw her before I found Itachi standing over their dead bodies. I just still couldn't believe it was her. I reached out and touched her face. It was her!
"M-Mom!" I cried out, wrapping my arms around body, and began crying on her shoulder. "I-I've missed you so much!" I hugged her tighter. I could feel her rubbing the back of my hair and leaning her head on mine.
"I've missed you too Sasuke." I heard her say to me. I kept crying, only harder this time. After some time, I must've cried out everything I had in me because even though I was still crying, I couldn't feel tears coming out of my eyes anymore.
"Sasuke? Sasuke, look at me." Mother said to me. Still sniffling, I stood up straighter and looked at her. "It's okay. Everything is okay." Her sweet voice calmed me back down. Oh how I've missed her sweet, calming voice.
"Mother? How is it that you're here.. with me right now?" I asked her hesitantly. I really did want to know. "On the night that me and your father died, right before Itachi.. killed us," she explained to me. "I secretly stored away some chakra without him or your father knowing, so I would be able to see you and talk with you once more before I left for the afterlife."
"There is so much I want to tell you Mother." I said to her.
"I've got time to listen." She said, smiling at me.
The room that we were in suddenly went switched back to the field I had been sleeping on. I sat back down on the ground, gently pulling her down with me. I made sure she was comfortable before I began talking. I told her about what it was like after that night, how it changed me. I could feel a lump begin to form in my throat as I tried hard not to cry again. She layed her hand down on mine and smiled at me, caressing my cheek with the other one. The lump in my throat dissappeared as I managed to calm back down and continued my story as she listened. I told her about when I graduated from the academy, how I became teammates with Sakura and Naruto, when Kakashi became our sensei, and the many missions we were assigned to. Every now and then, we would both laugh together, something we hadn't done in such a long time, and I would lean my head back down on her shoulder as she rubbed the top of my hair on my head.
I told her about when I left the village to seek out Orochimaru so I could become more powerful and stronger and seek out revenge against Itachi, which I shortened when I saw her frown at me. I gulped. Even though my mother did seem kind and caring, she could be fierce in just one second.
Instead of continuing, I switched back to how Naruto and Sakura, were always trying to stop me from my quest. "And then after I asked him why he's so fixated on stopping me from going down the path of revenge, he said "Because you're-""
"His friend." Mother finished for me. I looked at her, then back down on the ground, shaking my head.
"He's an idiot. I don't understand why he even said that to me. All I've ever done is treat him like crap and try to kill him."
"Because," Mother said to me, cupping my chin in her hand. "One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and be understood." I stared silently back at her. "You may not think this, but he really does understand you. He understood what it felt like when you were lonely after we were killed. He understood what it felt like to come home to no one. He did understand alot about you."
"But, why?" I asked her.
"Well, Sasuke, love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. He understands that even though you may never stop your quest for revenge, he wanted you, his friend, to come back home. And honey, he seems like a very great friend. "
"Oh." Was all I could manage to say. He understands me? I questioned myself this. I was deep in thought for a while before she spoke again.
"Now, can you tell me more about this Sakura Haruno" Mother asked me, winking at me. "She sounds like a good girl and she really does seem to like you."
"I think she's annoying." I mumbled. Mother cocked an eyebrow at me. "Oh, really?" she asked. I nodded my head. "Yeah." I said, then began telling her all about Sakura and how she tried so hard to get me to notice her and followed me around quite a whole lot. I did admit to her though, that when I was battling Gaara, I told Naruto to rescue Sakura no matter what because I didn't want to lose those that were precious to me. And then, I told her about how when I was leaving the village, Sakura tried to stop me, and even told me she loved me.
"When she admitted to you that she loved you, why didn't you say anything back to her? You did say she was one of those dear to you?" She asked me. I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know." She frowned at me again and turned her head to look out into the endless field. After some time of sitting there in silence, I heard her gasp then start giggling a little. I looked back at her, wondering what must've caused her to start giggling all of a sudden. She turned back to me with a huge smile on her face.
"Sasuke, do you remember when you were about seven years old, and you told me about a little pink-haired girl with a red ribbon in her hair, and you told me her name was Sakura?" I looked at her confused. I told her about Sakura when I was little? I searched my mind around for that memory but I couldn't find it. I shook my head at her.
"Oh. You must've forgotten about it. It was so long ago." Mother said "You came home from the academy one day, rambling about a little girl with pink hair and how you thought she was cute." She winked at me but I just continued to stare at her in confusion. Was she making this up? I don't remember talking at all about her. Mother then placed her hand back on my face. "Remember Sasuke. You need to remember." I closed my eyes, and I tried to remember that memory. After some time, I finally did. I found many that I'm guessing I must've blocked out after that fateful night.
I was leaning against one of the rails at the academy during lunch, eating my rice ball. I was watching all the students running by, playing with one another, while I stood there alone, eating. I then sensed someone was watching me, and I turned my head around with a scowl on my face and saw Sakura staring at me. Her face turned beet red, then screamed and ran off. I shrugged it off and went back to eating my rice ball when something red floated next to my feet. I looked down and noticed it was the red ribbon Sakura always wore to keep her hair away from her face. After I finished eating, I went to look for her.
After some time, I saw her sitting down on a yellow blanket, eating by herself as she watched her friends running around, taking peoples' food. I looked back at her and watched her as she laughed when she saw Choji fall on his face after he tripped over one of the student's foot. She had a really nice smile and her laugh somehow made me feel like laughing alongside her. She really was cute. I walked towards her and stood next to where she sat, watching her friends. She didn't know I was even there. We both watched as one of the student's tried to take back his wrapped up sandwich from Choji, who wouldn't let go, and was being pulled back by Shikamaru. Ino stood apart from them, shaking her head, embarrassed at them. The sight was funny. I laughed and that's when she finally noticed I was standing next to her, snapping her head in my direction.
"Sasuke!" She yelped. "I- uh um.." She was at a loss for words. Her head drooped down, her pink hair covering her flushed face. I smirked at her, bent down, and held her ribbon out in front of me.
"I think this belongs to you." I said to her. She snapped her head back at me and saw that I had her ribbon.
"Oh, t- thank you Sasuke." She hesitantly grabbed her ribbon back from me and held it in her hand. I could feel my heart do a little flutter but I didn't think anything of it.
"You're welcome." I said, smiling back at her. She blushed again. I then stood back up and walked away. I walked about fifteen feet away when I turned my head back to look at her and watched as she held the ribbon tightly to her chest, a smile on her face.
When classes were finally finished, I ran as quickly as I could back home, eager to tell my parents about my day. When I got home, I found my mom in the kitchen preparing dinner but no sign of father or my brother Itachi. He must've took him out to train, I thought to myself.
"Hi Sasuke! How was school today?" Mother asked me. She must've noticed that I was a little saddened that father wasn't home at all but I was glad she was there. Mother was a very good listener and she always knew what to say.
"It was good mom." I said to her as I sat down at our table. "We're going to learn how to do various jutsus tomorrow."
"That's great!" She said, mixing ingredients into a skillet. I looked down at the table before I continued. "Er, there's this girl in my class that I think likes me and I, um.."
"Yes." My mother said, now bending next to me, eager for me to continue. I told her about how she watched me as I ate and how I went to look for her after her ribbon flew out of her hair when she ran away. "She has a really nice smile and I like her laugh. Her ribbon looks great in her pink hair, and.. and.. I think she likes me." I could actually feel myself blushing now. " And, I don't know.. I think I sorta like her too."
"Aw!" exclaimed my mom. "You have a little crush sweetie!" I could feel myself blushing harder now. "Mom!" I whined. Her face formed into a serious scowl. "No whining at the table." She scolded me, then laughed. "So anyway, did you kiss her?" She asked. I looked at my mom in complete shock. I laughed and shook my head. "I was just picking with you honey. It's cute that you have a crush." She played with my hair for a little bit before she went back to cooking. I took my homework out and began working on it. Once I was done, I began drawing on a seperate piece of paper. As I did, my mind wandered back to Sakura. When I looked back down at my paper, I realized I had drawn a cherry blossom.
I opened my eyes again and stared at my mom who was holding my hand. "I remember now." I said to her. She smiled at me. "I knew you would." She said to me, her hair waving in the wind. There was flowers flying around the breeze, some getting tangled up in her hair. I immediately recognized them as cherry blossoms. But from where? Where were they coming from? I looked around and noticed we were standing in a field of japanese cherry blossom trees, their branches full with the flowers and swaying in the breeze.
"Where are we?" I asked, looking back at her. She shrugged at me. "You tell me."
"What? Do you mean you didn't bring us here?" I asked, confused. She shook her head at me. "No, I didn't. Just before you opened your eyes, we were transported here." She grabbed a flower from her hair. "It was you who brought us here."
My mind quickly raced back to the cherry blossom I had drawn on the piece of paper.
Sakura! I then realized why I never said anything back to Sakura after she told me she loved me. It was because love, the emotion, I had only felt it when I first saw her when we little, only to have it disentigrate after that night that my clan and family died. She loved me when no one else did, and I couldn't love her back. I could feel a tear stream down my face. I felt a small sharp pain in my heart all of a sudden. My hand went up to my chest and clutched my heart. Why did it hurt so much?
I then felt my mom lay her hand on mine, cupped my chin and tilted it up so I could look at her. Once we were looking at each other, she grabbed both my hands and held them. The wind immediately started to pick up again, and this time I noticed she seemed to be glowing with light and getting fainter. I froze in fear, not knowing what to do. I gave her a concerned look. She could tell I was worried and reassured me.
"It's alright Sasuke. My time is up. It's time I join your father and brother into the afterlife." I gripped her hands tighter. I didn't want to let go. I didn't want to let her go.
"I love you Sasuke. Your father, Itachi, and I love you so much." Her voice grew fainter and fainter. Suddenly, a warm, golden light appeared. Visions of my clan, my parents, Itachi, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura flashed before me, each giving me a warm smile.
"You loved before, and I know you can love again once more." I heard my mother say, as the light blinded me.
I poked myself in the forehead just like Itachi used to do, waking myself up. I was back in the field of grass all alone. I jumped up and surveyed the field. "Mother?" I called out, but I got no response back. "It must've been a dream" I told myself. A part of me kept telling me it wasn't while the other one did. I closed my eyes briefly before I opened them back up and looked out into the field. I made my decision. I had to go back to Konoha now.
As I began making my way through the field, I felt something brush on my arm, just a little lower than my shoulder. I looked down and noticed a cherry blossom pinned to shirt. I looked at it, then back at the sky, a small smile formed on my lips.
I love you.
Author's note: Hey guys! I hoped everyone enjoys this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. You can also find this story on my Wattpad account. The quotes I used were by Lucius Annaeus Seneca and Martin Luther King Jr. Have a great day everyone and don't forget to like and comment. :)