Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
This fic is beta-ed by Michlynx.
Chapter 1
ob·scure
adjective
not discovered or known about; uncertain.
It was snowing.
On that very balcony of the mansion, the exact place where they held an annual ball. He stood, frozen, at the beautiful sight before his eyes.
A pink-haired, petite girl was standing near the railing of the balcony, staring out at the nothingness. She was wearing a white dress with a hint of red laces and ribbons that complemented her look perfectly.
Her bubblegum hair swayed as the slightest of wind flew right past her. She didn't seem to mind whether pieces of snow could be seen stuck on her hair, or how cold the weather was for her to be outside without another layer of extra clothing.
What caught his very attention were her eyes.
They were huge green doe-like eyes, shining mostly in the darkness of winter. They weren't shimmering with happiness, no; it was the exact opposite.
They were glittering in cause of her soft tears.
It might had disturbed even himself of how could he find any beauty at the sight. He couldn't really explain why. However, that look of sadness and longing in her eyes were what stopped him in his tracks. They were what stopped his heartbeat, even for a second. It stopped, seeing how someone could look so beautiful even in her saddest of time.
At that moment, he decided. Yes, he would catch her heart.
A big, warm hand rose to touch her cheek.
"Don't cry…"
A voice, though weak, tried its best to gather the broken pieces of her heart.
"…Sakura."
She stood unmoving, her hands on the railing of the balcony. Her gaze was blank as she stared out at the dark sky and the lights of the village beneath it.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you."
She touched the hand on her cheek with her own, her tears never stopping. Her blurry eyes remained focused on his face, never once letting him out of her sight.
"No, don't go. Don't leave me all alone…"
She clenched her hands together at the memory.
She hugged his hand with all the strength she could muster at that time. She knew, nothing could save him. Nothing could bring them back together.
"I'm sorry, Sakura."
She cried harder, breaking his heart just by watching her.
She remembered every inch of the memory. How she wished she could forget, but she didn't want to. If she did, it would be an insult to his memory. Soft tears gathered to her eyes. What did they do to deserve such a fate? They had been doing fine before, so why now? Fresh tears slid down her cheeks.
A trace of blue, aurora-like mist sent her out of her trance. She blinked, following its tail. Where did it come from? The beautiful thing turned from blue to slight purple, circling her form as it went. It felt oddly warm. She found herself attracted to it immediately. Her emerald orbs danced within the light, her body twirling around to follow it. She wiped her tears, staring at the newly-found warmth intently.
Beautiful.
She touched the blue-purple light that was floating right before her with her forefinger slowly, as if afraid to make it disappear. It floated easily around her, as if urging her to chase it. She made another circling move to follow it, and without realizing it, she had danced along with the light. She laughed softly. Suddenly, it moved away from her form, making her retract her hand to stare at it again.
Not before long, it formed a shape similar to that of a bird.
"A hawk…?"
A burst of light made her eyes shut closed for a few good seconds, before opening them again. When she did, all the lights disappeared and they left only a real single bird with beautiful blue-purple feathers. It was indeed a hawk.
"Garuda."
She turned her head at the voice, surprised that she had company. She took a step back unconsciously. The beautiful bird seemed to have recognized its owner, because it quickly flapped his wings and landed on the extended hand of its master.
Her eyes widened at the man standing not too far from her. He looked somewhat similar, with the spiky dark-blue hair and his piercing onyx gaze. Her heart clenched at the sight. No, she could tell that this man wasn't him. Though similar, he gave off a very different aura around him. How could she have mistaken him with someone else entirely?
"…What?"
It was the first time he had heard of her voice, and he quickly found that he liked it. Her voice was somewhat soft-pitched and pleasant to the ear; even better than what he had imagined. He chuckled lightly at her response, eyes twinkling with amusement.
"His name is Garuda."
The deep, masculine voice that belonged to him sent shivers down her spine. She nodded immediately in response. "He's really pretty."
"So are you." She quickly blushed at his words. Was he trying to flirt on her?
She brushed off her disturbing thought immediately and replied with a smile, "Thank you, kind Sir."
He almost smirked at her polite tone. Interesting. "Call me Sasuke."
He extended his hand. She stared at it for a while, as if in a trance. His voice broke her out of her reverie, "May I ask for your name?"
She lifted her hand and shook his lightly, a smile adorned her pretty face. "I'm Sakura. A pleasure to meet you."
Sakura.
Her name fitted her perfectly. He should have guessed. Judging by his expression, he seemed to be satisfied to have acquired her name. "The pleasure is mine."
He kept staring at her with interest in his eyes that she felt very flustered at the moment. She then decided to lift her gaze back to the hawk, Garuda. "May I touch it?"
"Of course."
She touched the bird's back with such soft touches, as if it would break under her touch. He noticed this, but didn't say anything. If anything, it only pulled his interest of her even more. How she seemed to have a soft, sweet aura around her and everything she did seemed to have been committed into memory under his heated gaze.
The moment, however, was ruined when a midnight bell echoed within the whole mansion.
She pulled her hand from the bird and took a good step back to keep the boundaries. She bowed, and smiled at him. He couldn't do anything but stare at her. She was indeed the most beautiful girl he had ever seen; how she smiled, how she carried herself, and how very well-mannered she was. He was even more convinced of his choice. He wanted her.
"Thank you, Sasuke." Her voice was music to his ears, making him almost lost focus on what she was saying. Almost. "I was actually feeling down before you came, but you cheered me up." The hawk, as if understanding what she was saying, gave off a sound to remind her of its presence. She gave another soft pat on Garuda's back and laughed softly. "Thank you, Garuda."
With another bow, she turned on her heels, feeling the conversation was over when he wasn't the slightest bit responding. It didn't bother her; she knew he was more of a person who speaks when necessary.
That was exactly why she didn't expect a hand that grabbed her wrist and turned her around to meet a hard chest, and a pair of lips that touched hers gently.
Her eyes widened. What was going on? Her mind went blank. Just before she could do anything to react, he pulled back. He laid his forehead on hers, staring into her emerald orbs deeply as she did his.
"I can make you happier than this, Sakura. Let me court you."
Emerald orbs turned wide at his sudden proposal.
She fell onto the soft mattress of her bedroom. A mess of pink hair was made on the bed as she just lay there, staring at the ceiling of her room. What had just happened? It was like a blur of events; she couldn't catch up at all. Absentmindedly, she touched her lips with her fingers. She couldn't get him out of her head.
That pair of warm lips that touched hers.
That beautiful, onyx orbs that stared so deeply into her.
"I can make you happier than this, Sakura. Let me court you."
The sudden proposal from a man she had just met.
She sighed. For some reason, the evening had drained her energy more than usual. Perhaps it was the fact that it had been so long since she attended certain balls, or it was because of her heart that couldn't stop beating. She had to put her bet on the latter. Closing her eyes, she tried to understand his words; to understand him.
"What did you say…?"
His voice never faltered as he said, "You heard me. Let me court you."
In a flash second, she felt guilty. She didn't deserve to be with someone else. She wasn't ready, not after all that had happened.
She lowered her gaze to her lap, trying to figure out words to reject his proposal. Even though they had just met, she had this hunch that he was indeed a very kind person. She had felt bad for rejecting him, but it was for his sake as well.
"…I'm sorry." She shut her eyes closed. "I can't forget."
He immediately understood the situation. So she had a bad experience regarding relationships; that's why she was hesitant to give him a chance, much less accept him. Well, he was too eager on her too, he realized.
"Is it a painful one?"
His tone of voice didn't signal his anger or disappointment. Rather, it seemed that he understood her feelings. She opened her eyes slowly, revealing the emerald orbs that he had loved ever since he had seen her.
"Yes."
Her tone of voice and expression showed him how greatly in love, and how she suffered hardships for this person. He couldn't help but wonder just who was this man who had hurt her, brought her into this painful state?
He sighed. He was going to have to be patient. Well, no matter. This wasn't going to make him any less in obtaining everything about her. He was going to give her all of him, if he had wanted for all of her.
"I can make you forget."
She furrowed her eyebrows to his words and said, "No, you can't. I tried, I really tried but I couldn't forget."
He used his forefinger to lift her chin so that he could stare at her mesmerizing orbs once more.
"I can. It is my gift."
Her eyes widened. "Don't tell me…"
He nodded.
"I can make you forget, if you'd let me."
It was the hardest choice in her life. Keep it and suffer from it forever, or let go and move on. Fate had been kind at her, for giving her a second chance. Out of all the people in the world, she had met with another like his kind. One that could take the burden of others. One that could take others' memories.
It was a gift from God.
Humans were supposed to trust in each other ever since the beginning of time. They were meant to coexist with one another, depend on one another. To complement their existence, each was given a gift; an ability unlike the other. That was how they would learn to have faith; a light of hope.
That was his gift. A gift that could save her, from all of this pain. All that she had to do was say yes.
His eyes bore themselves into hers, searching for an answer.
"Let me help you, Sakura."
He saw her feelings through the windows of her soul. She was beyond confused of what to do, what decision for her to take. He knew he was forcing his way on her, but he was an Uchiha. He would get what he wanted, no matter how hard it is. When he had spotted her, he knew she was different. There was something about her that took his whole being on, and his mind and soul would just get more curious and curious.
Perhaps it was the pain in her eyes, or the look of longing that lingered deep inside her soul. He could feel it; how strong her feelings were once it was casted out. He wanted every little thing about her. He wanted her smile, her pain, her laughter, and her suffering. He wanted everything. He would do everything for her.
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Whatever decision she chose, it would change her inevitably.
Sakura.
She heard his voice.
More than anything else, I want you…
Surprised, her eyes flashed open, showing clear emerald.
…to be happy.
She smiled at herself. Finally coming up with an answer, her eyes were hard, as if certain of her decision.
"Yes."
His eyes danced warmly and his whole being was filled with pride at her approval.
Sakura, love,
let me help you forget
.
.
I can make you happy,
if you'd let me
.
.
Let me court you.
.
.
.
Yes.
A big, warm hand rose to touch her cheek.
"Don't cry…"
A voice, though weak, tried its best to gather the broken pieces of her heart.
"…Sakura."
"I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you."
She touched the hand on her cheek with her own, her tears never stopping. Her blurry eyes remained focused on his face, committing him to her memory forever.
"No, don't go. Don't leave me all alone…"
She hugged his hand with all the strength she could muster at that time. She knew, nothing could save him. Nothing could bring them back together.
"I'm sorry, Sakura."
She cried harder, breaking his heart just by watching her.
"Don't cry. It is my choice."
He stared at her form. He had almost regretted his action, for foolishly dying like this. Now, she would be forever broken, all because of his failure.
"Why did you do it? There's no need for you to sacrifice yourself! So why…"
"I have been given this gift. Therefore, I want to try the best I could… I wish to hold the burdens of human beings, but it seems…" He coughed. "I failed."
She could see it. His blood; it's everywhere. She desperately clutched onto his form, afraid of letting him go. She screamed, "No, don't go. No! Please, don't—"
He grabbed her waist with his remaining strength, pulling her onto his form. She was as warm as ever. Her presence was always calming, whether she realized it herself or not. He closed his eyes, inhaling her scent. Well, he did choose this painful path. He had to; he couldn't bear seeing his innocent comrades' death.
So he brought their death upon himself.
"Sakura, this is my fate. But yours… is different. You have a very wonderful gift."
She sobbed into his chest, trying to understand what he was saying. "My gift… What do you mean? I don't have a gift."
It was true. All this time, she was unaware of the hidden gift within herself. He had watched her ever since she was small. She was different; that he no longer doubt. Her gift would mature along her age, unlike the others. She would obtain it when she had realized it herself; when she understood pain.
"Your gift is a happy one, Sakura. In time, you will learn." He coughed blood, again.
He closed his eyes tiredly, knowing of his own appointed time. It would seem that this would be the last memory he had of her. He tried to not cry, at least not in front of her. It would break her resolve of letting him go, even worse than before. She look at him with fear in her eyes; fear of his death.
"Good bye, my love."
She tried to break from his hold and look him in the eye, tell him to stay. But he remained his strong grip onto her form, as if calming her.
"No. No!"
He kissed the top of her head softly.
"I love you, Sakura."
His hands that kept his grip on her waist went limp, signaling that he was no longer there. Her eyes darkened in horror. A tear went down her cheek, and she screamed.
"Itachi!"
I love you.
[2016/06/08]
First fic. What do you think?
Please review!