For: Nameless Blossom as a very, very, very late birthday present. Late as in this was due in October. And now it's nearly January. I epically fail. This is supposed to be a one-shot, but it grew and grew until it reached around 30ish pages, and I'm still not done. So I'm dividing it into chapters.
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Time takes it all whether you want it to or not, time takes it all. Time bares it away, and in the end there is only darkness. Sometimes we find others in that darkness and sometimes we lose them there again.
--Stephen King
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Twilight
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Who's there?
Me, of course.
Me? That sounds familiar…
Should be. We are the same person after all.
Really? That's…how does that work?
It—Actually, I have no idea. You're the brains after all.
Oh…I'm confused. What are we doing? What's going on?
Well…you'll remember soon enough. I'd tell you but that might not help at all. Just wait.
One last thing—Why is it so dark?
That? You'll see. Just get used to it—it'll be like this for a while. Forever in fact.
-x-
Sparks flew, mini-stars falling. They were everywhere, near a tree, by the field, showering down from the sky.
The movement was too fast for her to follow, just an orange blur and a blue one clashing, separating and then meeting once more. Almost like a rehearsed dance, the ones that she used to learn when she was little and needed to know how to blend into a party. The only difference was that those were graceful and this one was just raw power.
It was still beautiful and for a moment she watched it before reminding herself what she was going to do.
She was going to end it. There would be no more chasing, no more running, no more wondering. Everything would come back together, the puzzle pieces packed away into a box, and then later they would try to put it back together.
For now, she was in charge of getting the pieces together. It was a difficult job and because of her control, she was the only one who could manage it.
It was a dangerous job too and that's why she offered. She didn't want to have her friends—family—suffer even more, when she had a better chance to do it.
Flipping her hands, she started to make the moves for it. When she sensed another, stronger presence approaching, she started to go faster.
-x-
I…I think I'm starting to remember.
That's good. Soon we'll be done with the remembering and be able to wake up.
Oh, is this a dream?
In a sense, yes. It is a dream in one way.
Does this mean the darkness will go away soon?
I told you already, that will stay.
Why?
I hate having to answer all these questions. I'd rather hit something. And you being confused makes me quiet and…
You'll see soon enough, ok? We're getting to the part where you'll find out. So do it quickly, 'k?
They are getting worried.
Who's they?
Listen. You can hear their voices even now.
"Ku…wak…don't…"
"She'll…soon…go…"
"Will…he…soon…see…stay…fix…"
"No…stuck…"
"Please? I…see…she…want…too…"
"Fine."
Oh. I hear them. Not properly though…
Soon you'll be able to hear them completely.
And see them, right?
For a while.
-x-
Nearly done. Glancing up, she saw two bright balls of energy shooting towards each other. One an electric blue, Zeus's lightening. The other a fiery red, Apollo's chariot.
She knew what that meant. It would herald their doom, instruments of destruction that couldn't be stopped no matter what. The balls would keep going until it contacts something and destroys it.
Unless she finished her move and stopped them. That was the only thing that kept her moving, the only thing that made her hope and not shatter apart.
She would save them. She had the power and she would use it this time. No more being a burden, it was time she showed that she could be just as powerful as them.
A few more hand-signs and she'd be done. The aftereffects would momentarily paralyze her, apparently, and she would be in trouble for using this jutsu because it was forbidden.
No matter, any punishment would be worth this chance.
However, as she did the last sign, she realized something had gone wrong. Something had gone terribly wrong.
-x-
Oh. I…I remember.
About time. It was tiring waiting for this.
And…and…did it…did I…?
Yeah, it did. We still have some time before it completely goes into effect but…it will happen.
Nothing to stop it? Nothing can be done?
…I don't think so. But I'm not the brains, you are. I'm sure you know the answer.
…maybe…maybe someone else can find a way. But did…did it work?
Oh, don't worry about that. It worked perfectly. I'm sure you can imagine. Though, what ever—oh, never mind. I'm sure you'll be asked that soon enough.
What…oh. I just thought…I just wanted…I wanted to actually be able to help them for once.
Well, you did. Congratulations. Now we'll just have to live with the results.
Doesn't everybody?
-x-
Her eyes are heavy, oh so very heavy when she tries to open them. They flutter open for a second, the world coming into focus for that brief moment before the lights are too bright and she closes her eyes again. She tries again and her eyes finally open and all she can see is white.
White with tinges of gray at the ends and she knows that it has started already.
She tries to move a finger, just a little, and feels sluggish when it does move.
"Sakura-chan!" a voice calls out and suddenly she is enveloped in orange and warmth. Two arms are around her, squeezing her closer to the body, and she tries to think of who it is.
Naruto comes the answer a few seconds later.
"Are you alright? Why did you do that? You know—" Naruto says rapidly, not giving her enough time to answer before saying the next question.
"Naruto, leave her alone." A smacking noise is heard and Naruto yelps in pain, hastily letting go of Sakura. "She's barely conscious, much less capable of answering your questions."
Another face fills her vision, tawny eyes staring intently into her own, and she (Tsunade) talks to her. "Sleep, Sakura. And we'll talk about this later."
Sakura can barely hear her, her eyes already sinking shut again and the darkness takes her prisoner again.
-x-
For the next few hours, a small game is played. Sakura swims to the surface of her mind, remembering that she should wake up. She opens her eyes, looking around a little without actually moving her head, and then the sandbags on her eyes slid down and she dives back to the bottom.
It's a game that she doesn't realize she's playing. Sometimes she can stay awake for ten minutes, staring outside or trying to listen to her friends who are waiting by her bed. She hears snatches of their conversation, not really listening, and without realizing it she is asleep once more. Then she'll wake up again, not realizing what happened to that family who got the wrong set of flowers for the funeral. She barely remembers hearing about it in the first place.
She falls in and out of her dreams, sometimes in reality and sometimes in fantasy. It's too hard to tell the difference. It's a struggle to keep her eyes open especially when she wants to and thinks that this time, she'll keep them open. This time she'll notice when she falls asleep.
The only thing she notices is when she wakes up.
-x-
"No, Naruto, we are not doing this." Tsunade rubbed her forehead, exhausted from trying to heal Sakura all night. "I told you this already."
"Yesterday, you promised. You said we'd do it." Naruto's face is filled with determination. His eyebrows narrow when she tries to leave him and he jumps in front of her.
"Sakura did this for him. She should at least see him."
"The Uchiha is a prisoner right now. Do you honestly think I'll let him visit her? Especially when he hasn't been tried yet?"
"You will." Naruto says this simply, with conviction, and Tsunade sighs before scribbling a note.
She knows she can't refuse him this. Especially when she realizes how much this would mean to Sakura.
"Later. When I've done checking on her and I've checked him as well. Only then."
"But—"
"Do you want me to lock you up with him? Or not do this at all? Now, get out of my way before you become a part of the wall!"
She also knows she wants this so that the Uchiha can realize what he helped start. It's a terrible thing, to want to see the Uchiha see the damage he's caused and get hurt by it, but it is something she wants to see anyways.
-x-
It's two days before Sakura can stay awake properly. Slowly she stayed awake for longer periods before finally she was able to stay awake for at least half a day.
It is on the fourth day that Tsunade visits her.
"Sakura…" Tsunade takes a sit next to her. "I'll do a quick check-up, ok?"
"Sure…" Her tongue still feels heavy but she can withstand it. Tsunade's hands are gentle as she prods Sakura's legs and arms first and then her chest. Finally, she takes out a flashlight and looks into Sakura's ears, mouth, and nose.
For a moment, all is silent and the Tsunade speaks.
"You know what you did?"
Sakura doesn't answer. She wishes she could lie, close her eyes, do anything so she couldn't see the pity and disappointment in her shishou's eyes. Not trusting her voice, she just nods.
"Why did you do it? Do you have a death wish? I should beat you to a pulp right now for this. Did I not warn you against this?" Tsunade's voice rises until it is a roar, filling the room. Her hands grab Sakura's and squeeze them as her voice lowers to a whisper. "But now…"
I've hurt her, Sakura thinks and she squeezes back. "Tsunade-shishou, I'm…I'm still alive at least."
"You might not have been! And at what cost?" She's angry again and abruptly stands up and leaves Sakura.
"You should have realized what this means, Sakura. I won't punish you because you already are going to go through a punishment far worse anything I could give you."
With that, Tsunade leaves and Sakura silently stares at her hands.
She knows those words are true.
-x-
"Hey, Sakura-chan, I bought you some ramen," Naruto tells her six days after she first woke up. "I know that hospital food is lame and disgusting and that you've missed ramen."
Sakura giggles softly as Naruto acts gentlemanly like and places a cloth on her lap and ties another one around her neck. "Now, be careful not to spill. I managed to sneak this in and I don't want a single drop to be wasted."
"Yes, sir," Sakura mock salutes and breaks her chopsticks open.
"Hey, Sakura-chan…" Naruto asks after a few minutes of slurping, "Is it…is it true?"
"What is, Naruto?" She feigns ignorance. Maybe he isn't asking what she thinks he is.
"You know, that you are…that you are…" He can't say the words and neither can she. Saying them makes them real, tangible, something that exists and inevitable.
She wants to believe she can change it.
"Yes…it is." Naruto's face falls and she adds, "But maybe we can stop it."
His face immediately brightens and he starts planning. "Tsunade-baa-chan will just have to read more and find out what to do and maybe we can…"
Naruto says all sorts of bright, optimistic things and she doesn't have the heart to tell him that it's already started. The edges of her world are grey, the corners black, and soon it will all fade into one.
-x-
Sakura didn't see Naruto's face when he found out what would happen. She didn't see his face fall, the anger in his voice, the defeat, but she could very well imagine it.
That's why she is surprised when he visits her a week later and there is a smile on his face. It doesn't fully reach his eyes but it is a true one all the same.
"Sakura-chan, I have a surprise for you!" Naruto tells her as he barges into the room. His face is a bit blurry but that voice is recognizable.
"A surprise?" She watches as he dashes to her bedside, arms flying around enthusiastically.
"Well…it's…" Naruto stops talking, realizing what he's about to say, and then he leans over to whisper, "It's a surprise."
"I know."
"I can't tell you. Sorry, Sakura-chan." He looks at her, eyes big and round, and she gives him a smile.
"It's ok. It's a surprise after all." She tries to hide her disappointment—being in the hospital room for days is boring and she wants to go out and see the world one last time.
Naruto still catches it, though. "Sakura-chan, I can tell you part of it. But you have to be surprised still, ok?"
"Sure." She tries to keep the eagerness from her voice, fearful he'd stop.
"Tomorrow, you'll be able to go outside again! And then, soon, I'll be taking you home."
"What?" She can't believe her ears. "Do you mean it?"
"Yes." There's a wide grin on his face as he watches her face brighten. "So, see you then?"
"Of course." She wouldn't miss it for the world.
-x-
Naruto loves Sakura. It's simply just that. In the beginning, he was sure it was a crush which then turned into a deeper love. He wanted a kiss, her smile, anything as long as it was just for him. Years after that, he was sure that he loved her like a brother. He wanted to help her stand, give her a shoulder to lean on, protect her. Now, he isn't fully sure how to label it.
It is still love, no matter how it is defined, and Naruto would rather die than to see Sakura get hurt. Even when she no longer needs rescuing, she's stronger now, he wants to save her. It's a natural reaction to him. It's a natural reaction for Team Seven, in fact.
(He isn't sure why Sasuke went against that reaction all those years ago.)
"Don't hurt her again, ok?" Naruto says, his voice strong and anger in his eyes. "It's…It's bad enough that she has to go through this as it is. Don't make it worse."
There's no reply and Naruto turns around and starts to lead the way.
"If you do, I won't stop whatever punishment comes your way. In fact, I'll do it myself."
There is a snort behind him, one of disbelief, and Naruto thinks that maybe, just maybe, it'll be ok.
-x-
It's amazing. The changes that occur over the span of a day are startling. Then, when she thinks of it, the changes were supposed to be done by now so she should be happy with what she has.
Naruto comes in and even though the door is just ten meters from her bed, his face is not recognizable and she can only tell it is him from his orange clothes.
He is an orange blur that suddenly is at her side and she can see his face with sudden clarity. He looks excited, bouncing around her bed, but there is also apprehensiveness there too.
"Shizune-nee-chan said I could take you out myself," Naruto declares proudly and with good reason. It had been months since he had been allowed to be in a hospital room unsupervised.
Or maybe not completely unsupervised. She remembers there was a dark blur behind Naruto when he first entered the room and she looks back at the doorway. There's a darkly dressed person standing there, not moving, and probably watching Naruto.
"Naruto, is that Sai?" she asks him. Naruto freezes and she thinks that the figure tensed up slightly.
"Sai? No that's…well, that's surprise number two!" Naruto recovers quickly and puts the wheelchair next to Sakura's bed. "He's going to be pushing your wheelchair. Baa-chan said he had to or else she'd hurt him."
"A wheel-chair? Do I really need one?" Sakura complains as Naruto drops a pile of clothes on her bed.
"Shizune-nee-chan said I had too…but only while you're on hospital grounds." There is a mischievous smirk on his face and she grins back. "She also said you had to change into one of these."
Sakura starts to paw through the clothes before she realizes Naruto is still there.
"Get out!"
-x-
In the hallway, they are silent. Naruto avoids his friend's gaze, ignoring the silent question written in his eyes until finally it is said aloud.
"What happened?"
Naruto tenses. He expected the question, even prepared for it, but hearing it is different than thinking of it.
"It's…" Naruto's voice trails off as he thinks about it. He doesn't know how to say this without making it seem as though he is blaming him.
"Sakura, while she was using that jutsu in the forest to stop the Akatsuki from catching us, she made a small mistake in it. It was a forbidden one as well, so there aren't many ways to stop what is happening. She's…"
Naruto pauses and gulps. His eyes are burning, his throat is raw, and he knows that if he doesn't stop and collect himself he'll cry again.
(The first time he cried, it was out of confusion. What's happening?
The second time, it was out of anger. Why her? Why for us?
The third, it was out of loss. Why Sakura? She needs it!
The last time, he made a promise. He won't cry. Sakura shouldn't remember him with red eyes and a runny nose.)
After a few moments, he continued. "Sakura, she's going blind." Then he opened the door and went in.
There was nothing he could add to that.
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