Hope for the Future
A/N: Here's a new fanfiction for you guys! This one will contain less than seven chapters, I guarantee. It's a very short one that I have been putting off, and now have decided to finally post it. Although it already sounds like the plot will be horrible, I can honestly say that it will be better than even I had originally anticipated.
The beginning section is from Sakura's POV and the rest is third person.
So now, I present my new fanfiction story to you, my readers.
Prologue:
"Sakura-chan!" My eyes widened as I heard my name screamed from the edge of the forest. The panic and worry that the voice contained was enough to cause me to whirl around, trees and tall grass blurring before my eyes. "Move!"
As I laid my gaze upon my charging teammate, his hands outreached towards my figure, my confusion finally gave way to fearful understanding. The ground beneath my feet rumbled violently, causing me to lose my balance. I could already sense the powerful chakra radiating approaching me quickly from behind.
A grim frown found its way upon my lips as I summoned my chakra to my fists. My emerald eyes narrowed as the anxiety built up inside me, awaiting the attacker.
Naruto immediately noticed my expression change and started roaring his disapproval. He knew I wasn't as strong as I used to be. My strength had dwindled away over the years, and yet, I could feel contentment unlike him, who felt nothing but guilt and worry. He knew exactly why I was growing weaker over the years, and he even knew that I had no complaints about it.
To be quite honest, I couldn't really care less. After all, I had always wanted a peaceful life after I had proven to myself that I could be a strong kunoichi. And I did prove that a few years back, but the peaceful life still did not exist. In fact, my above average medical skills had brought more trouble than I had originally thought it would. It was very bittersweet, however, that this was not the case today.
My left foot crashed into the earth as I threw all my body into one final punch, pivoting to face my opponent. A battle cry escaped my lips, drowning out all other sounds; Naruto's desperate protesting, the noises of the flashbacks that my mind conjured, and especially, the very small part of my conscience that screamed at me to change my decision.
Naruto's hand found my shoulder, but was too late to halt my actions.
A loud crack followed by a revolting, squishing noise reached my ears. A familiar, hot liquid splattered upon my face and completely coated my fist. My mind hadn't registered what substance had been spilled onto the ground and our bodies. Gaze unfocused and blurred; I staggered back slightly.
Golden-tinted eyes remained widened in surprise as their owner watched me in disbelief. His own expression equaled my own.
Something was shaking. I couldn't understand what was causing the violent motion. Naruto's hand was quivering on my shoulder, his tight grip almost appearing to be comforting.
As my gaze finally came into focus, understanding crept into my mind.
"It's going to be alright, Sakura-chan…" His voice was dangerously soft with grief and pain laced into his voice. "You're going to be fine…Just—" Tears choked off Naruto's sentence, his hand now vibrating against my shoulder.
A blade pierced my chest, ripping through the soft tissue and precious organs that dwelled there. My heavy panting was finally audible, as well as the agony that my body cried. I stared down at the katana penetrating my body, a strange numbness stalling my tears. The only thing my mind allowed was to stare blankly at the sight before me.
The weapon shifted in its owner's hand slightly as he coughed up blood onto the ground, using his free hand to cover his mouth. His hand drew back, bringing the katana with him. A sharp pain shot through my body, awakening my senses. I could feel the tension as his muscles prepared to thrust forward.
Naruto's hand left my shoulder immediately. The only evidence of his presence was the sound of soft rustling. His chakra spiked in power for a brief second, but I already knew he was too late. He could have all the chakra in the world, and it still couldn't stall enough time.
As the blade was withdrawn from my chest, I lost my balance, stumbling forward. It was definitely the last direction I wanted to approach.
The golden eyes watching me narrowed in cold amusement.
"Your interference will finally be destroyed, Sakura-chan."
Gold quickly bled to crimson as the sight of pinwheels met my gaze. I unconsciously gasped as the world spun around me. The blue skies above faded to crimson and the innocent white clouds morphed into haunting black smoke that dreadfully hung overhead.
By the time the world before had changed, I realized that I was no longer seeing the Country of Grass.
I stared in numbed fear at my new environment, not quite believing it.
The words left my mouth before I could even think clearly.
"…The rumors were true all this time…"
The monster before me smirked coldly, his crimson eyes still piercing me with a wicked glare. Yet, before another few seconds could pass, the world began to shatter like glass. The smirk that the man had adorned upon his face had disappeared in an instant. His eyes merely darkened in disgust.
Naruto's words now reached me once more, calling my name to awaken me. Strong arms held me up, not allowing me to fall backwards. The sky above slowly reverted to light blue, and normal clouds met my momentarily blurred vision. I could feel dizziness overtake my head, creating a horrible headache.
One hand reached up to clutch my head, trying to regain my composure. I swallowed air desperately, trying to push down the nausea that gripped me. Unfocused, my eyes searched wildly for clear images.
"What…What happened?" I whispered softly, urgently.
"You're safe, Sakura. Calm down." The monotonous sound of a familiar teammate's voice drifted to my ears. I glanced up, my eyes widening in shock. The old memorable navy mask and the mismatched pair of eyes met my gaze. I searched for words to express my joy, but could find none.
"Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto's voice murmured gratefully, before his head snapped towards the monster who had been temporarily distracted. I closed my eyes for a moment to try to clear my head, before opening them once again to something more unexpected than I could ever predict.
I struggled to stand up on my own, but Naruto silently placed a hand on my shoulder to halt me. I would've have glanced at him in confusion, but my eyes were captured by the scene playing out just a few feet away. After all, it was startling enough to draw my attention away from my blood loss and injuries.
Crimson bore into crimson. The katana wielder said nothing for a few seconds before smirking in mildly surprised amusement. He hadn't even flinched when his new opponent tightened their grip on his wrist, causing the weapon to clatter softly to the dirt-padded ground.
"I suppose I expected you would appear soon after your sulking." He chuckled deeply, ignoring the fact that he was quickly losing blood and circulation in his right hand. "It would be a fitting end for the both of us, wouldn't it?"
Naruto tensed beside me, biting back a growl that dwelled in the back of his throat.
I narrowed my eyes painfully at the mocking of his question. That rhetorical question was unnecessary.
"Or perhaps…"
I bit my tongue to cut off my protest. It wasn't my fight. It wasn't my fight. My logical mind wouldn't allow myself to stop repeating those words.
"Should I say, the three of us?"
It isn't my fight.
The sound of cracking echoed around me, causing me to cringe slightly.
"No…" I whispered softly in retaliation. "That isn't fair."
Naruto turned his head away from the sight, his eyes tightly closed.
Another low, unnatural chuckle left the monster's lips. I felt a chill run down my spine.
It isn't my fight…
Lips thinning in anger, I could see the familiar hatred display in his eyes. There was grief as well, but not as strong as the obvious hatred. It didn't seem possible for such hatred to exist, but it did now in his eyes.
"Sasuke…!"
In another blur, Sasuke and his opponent disappeared as the sound of clashing and soft crunches on the ground filled the battleground.
One Week Before
"Come on, Sakura-chan, not much farther!" Naruto murmured, grasping her hand tightly as they slowly climbed up the heather-covered hill. Sakura sighed lightly as a soft smile graced her lips.
"Alright…Alright, we're almost there." He could act like such an eager child sometimes, but it surely did suit his outgoing personality. He ran the last few yards, pulling her gently, but urgently towards the top. Sakura could only follow helplessly.
As he reached the top, he halted abruptly. Sakura blinked in confusion, unable to see past his figure. Glancing up at him briefly, she noticed him staring down into the valley they visited occasionally. The disbelieving shock dwelling in his cerulean eyes unsettled her slightly.
Ignoring the fact that his hand still grasped hers, she swiftly moved around him. She instantly stopped as well, her eyes widening at the disturbance. The once peaceful, carefree atmosphere no longer existed; instead was now replaced by fear and anger.
"I never dreamed of this…" Naruto whispered in a deadly soft tone. Sakura numbly nodded, unable to agree openly with his statement. She stumbled back slightly, unconsciously bumping into her teammate. His free hand clasped onto her bare shoulder, holding her steady as possible. She was sure it was hard enough to keep himself steady, let alone her.
The horrible stench of fresh blood stung her nostrils as she flinched away. However, the spilled liquid was not enough to avert her eyes away from a barely recognizable figure, crouching silently near the area of crimson. The raven hair seemed darker as the sun seemed to set. The dark-blue eyes were duller, but filled with grief. Even his face appeared paler than usual.
It wasn't the reunion she had ever dreamed of, but was instead, a complete nightmare.
Not quite recovering from the shock and numbness, Sakura felt her body slowly make its way towards the normally emotionless man. She was vaguely aware that Naruto followed behind her at a much slower pace.
Her knees dropped on their own accord once she reached him, unable to stop staring at the area of blood covering the place. Sakura could barely comprehend that he had not even moved away, let alone disappeared or threatened her to leave. Instead, she noticed Naruto place an awkward, yet comforting hand onto his shoulder even though the time since they had last met was so many years ago.
Blinking a few times, ignoring the tears that slid down her cheeks, Sakura hugged him silently. He didn't protest nor show that he could feel her. In the dreadful terms of the situation, the Uchiha that she had once loved and cared for had simply accepted it.
There were no emotions attached.
No friendly smiles or welcoming reminders of the old Genin days.
Just silence and grief that could bring them together for one small reunion.
A/N: Wow, I am surprised Sakura's POV turned out so well, or at least, in my opinion. As you have noticed, this story will be filled with much anguish. Fortunately, however, there will be some very heart-touching parts that I am looking forward to posting.
Although in the recent manga, I have given Sasuke a second chance. Actually, due to a few ideas and a rewritten summary for the story, I believe I can make him a little more acceptable. I understand that this fanfiction may be OOC, but I know I'm going to love it to death anyways.
Thank you very much reading and I hope you enjoyed the prologue.
Until next update,
SharinganAnbuSakura