Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places are solely the product of Kisimoto Masashi.
A/N: This fic is suffering from AU and maybe even a little bit of OOC, but I'll try to keep it down.
I saw an angel descending from the sky carrying the key to the abyss and a large chain in his hand.
He captured the dragon, the ancient serpent who is the devil, Satan, and chained him for a thousand years.
He hurled him into the abyss and sealed him in so he would not wander among the nations until a thousand
years after which time he would be released.
-The Apocalyptic Millennium
The sky was thick with a blanket of dark gray silver clouds, black in some areas where the clouds seemed to seam. The clouds spat the ground, once… twice… six times then an onslaught of rain sprinkled the ground, pooling in some areas of the barren ground, turning dirt into mud.
The heavens rumbled with thunder, evenly spaced as if singing the song of battle. Hot white lightning flashed in the sky, chained together, slashed through the clouds and struck the earth.
Scientific theory proved that lightning never struck the same place twice perhaps it was because they never witnessed it or perhaps the weather was just abnormal on this hot July afternoon.
The earth crackled and bled red hot as the sky continuously pelted the earth in a straight line from one side to the other. The earth sunk into itself as though the hot bolts melted the earth and fire rose up from the ground in bright reds, oranges and yellows.
Its hot tongue licked at the air and caught on the puddles of water, flowing along the muddy earth. An orb the size of a basketball of white and blue electricity rose from the torn ground and discharged.
Under all the crackling, it sounded as though a thousand birds were twittering. It died as the glittering light faded, carefully lowering a mass of black leather on the edges of the broken ground. It unfolded revealing a wan body, the mass of leather protruding from the scapula of said body.
Languidly it rolled onto the mud, revealing another mass of leather and the face of a naked young man. Beautiful, enthralling and perfect, a mass of soot black hair atop his head, adorn with graceful brows, accompanied by aristocratic features. He was long in height and narrow in width.
The rain beaded and slithered down his elegant body as he furrowed his brows and groaned slightly. His lips parted and he struggled to open his eyes, grimacing eyelids lifted long dark lashes and revealed obsidian eyes that quickly flashed vermilion amid with three black marks in the form of the number six.
After a minute, he lifted his upper body and drew one leg up, removing the water that had collected on his face and eyelashes with the palms of his hands. He jerked his arms outward and pulled the arm muscles taut as he examined the metal manacles on his wrists.
His dark eyes widen as if he was struck with a thought, he stretched his arms a bit, flexed the fingers, listening to the severed chains jingle. He smirked, rested one hand over the metal circlet and it melted through, falling to the ground near his bare thigh, he repeated the action on the other circlet, stretched his arms a couple of times, popping the shoulders and then rose to his feet as the rain let up, sprinkling the ground softly.
How interesting… He mused silently as he walked down nature's ashtray. Had it really been a thousand years? He peered up at the pale moon, a soft glow around its body. A wicked grin graced his features as he stretched out black wings, tipped with ebony bones.
Stretching the wings high above his head, he arched his back and cracked his neck. "A thousand years already?" a soft chortle slipped past his lips, a mere thought. "I wonder what shape this world has taken." Soon he found himself on an empty street. Cars and little shops lined the streets, bathed in the moon's graceful light.
He stopped in front of a menswear store and peered up at the mannequin donning black slacks and a white, untucked, dress shirt. He looked at it before he was donning it, the mannequin as nude as he had been. With a shrug of his shoulders he walked down the street, he raised the collar around his neck and shoved his hands into the pockets of the slacks.
He stumbled on the street, an echo pulsing through his senses. He had not felt it this strong since he first detected the power so many years before his fall. What a perfect time to be unsealed.
…
Haruno Sakura lay on her stomach in her new bed for the first time, since she moved to suburban Konohagakura. It felt strange. Hers was a nice place in a good building.
She had successfully earned a position as Chief Resident of Konoha Hospital, now all there was left to do was to buy the rest of her furniture, her possessions would not arrive for another three days.
She had no heat, she had to call the gas company to have it activated, but she was so tired from the drive down, she just wanted to sleep, bury her face in her pillow and fall into a beautiful insentience.
However, she rolled onto her back and sat up, rubbing her temple and racking her fingers through her long pink- oh, right- she cut her hair two days before her move as an incentive to begin her new life.
Suddenly her cell phone jutted out the chorus of Wind by Akeboshi. She slung her arm down, scooped up the metallic pink phone, and flipped it open. "Un, hello?" she grumbled into the phone, raking back her hair from her forehead.
"Hi, Baa-chan… nope, I just got in, I got the job down at the hospital." she sat up and drew her knees to her chest. The sun was bright, there was no need for the lights to be on, but she had it on anyway. Ever since, she was four years old, she could not stand to be without the light.
She had never seen the face of her father and she had long forgotten the look of her mother. She came into the care of her grandmother the same time she developed her nyctophobia. It was unhealthy she knew, it was one of the reason she strayed from dating. What man would stay with a woman who could not sleep in the dark?
"Yeah, I'll come visit as soon as I'm settled in… okay, take care of your self." She closed the phone and fell back against the sheet-less bed. Maybe pinks and whites, they were, after all, her favorite colors.
She heard her stomach's cry for food and so she rolled off the bed. Sakura had not time for food; she was moving in and an early interview but now that those things were out of the way, she should celebrate her new job with a sweet reward of treats and tea. She saw a cute little café on her way to the hospital that morning.
Sakura grabbed her keys on a cherry blossom keychain and left the apartment. "Hey, you there, with the wide forehead,"
Eek, She thought, the loud feminine voice startled her nerves. At the door diagonal from Sakura's was a beautiful woman with a river of golden hair and pastel blue eyes. "Y-yes…?"
"You just moved here, huh?"
"I-I did." What the hell was she so nervous about, maybe it wasn't nerves at all, rather the way the woman seemed to be demanding things instead of pleasantly asking them.
"I'm Yamanaka Ino, welcome to the building." Sakura quickly bowed and then rose up, a smile on her face.
"Haruno Sakura, thank you very much." Ino shrugged and then went back into her apartment, lifting a heavy bag of groceries with her.
"Why don't I show you around?" Sakura blinked, she had just finished locking her door when the woman surprised her again, circling the railing so that they were on the same side.
"Well, I was going to go down to this little café I saw, I haven't eaten yet."
"I'll go with you."
Pushy, pushy, Sakura thought and she closed her eyes. "Okay," Sakura was in no position to pass up friends.
They walked down to the shop, it was within walking distance, so were several other cute little shops, clothing stores, bookstores… those short of shops that were pleasant to the eyes of inner girls everywhere. They did not talk much on the way down but as soon as they entered the quaint little café she struck up a conversation. Ino asked about what Sakura did for work and that led to learning that was Ino working at a family flower shop.
"H-here you go." said the petite server with indigo locks and soft lavender eyes. She was so cute, standing there, serving them tea and sweet cakes all the while trembling like a twelve year old. She looked to be about the same age as Sakura and Ino.
"How old are you?" Sakura wondered with a pleasant smile, so not to offend the shaking girl.
"T-twenty one,"
"As I thought, thank you…" she trailed off, giving the girl room to introduce herself.
"H-Hyuuga H-Hinata." She said taking the money from Sakura.
"Well, H-Hinata, I'm Haruno Sakura and this is Yamanaka Ino." Ino lifted a hand with a smirk. Hinata smiled a tinge of bright red gracing her cheeks.
A little ways back from where the three young women chatted, two men sat in a booth way in the back, but having a rather clear view of the females.
The man on the left was relatively short, with a shock of yellow hair, mussed perfectly upon his head, his eyes were blue, the color of an innocent spring sky.
Under his eyes, three deep cuts marred each of his cheeks; it was what made him distinctive aside from the bright hair and the offensive orange of his jacket under a faded black tee amid pants to match his jacket. He gazed at Sakura more intently then the other two women before turning said blue eyes to the man sitting across from him.
He was a handsome man whose very aura demanded respect, admiration and obedience. Every line of his body held a casual elegance. His eyes were a dark shade of obsidian, impenetrable by any light, even the sun. His blue-black hair touched both cheeks and nape in an unruly cowlick.
His body was poise with lithe muscles and he was undeniably tall, even in his slouched position. His complexion was wan and flawless, unmarred by the elements. His fingers tapped the tabletop in a gentle, steady percussion that belied the wolf-watchfulness of his gaze.
His jaw, brows and handsome curve of his mouth gave him a regal appearance. He stretched his legs and crossed his ankles, lifting his dark lashes to examine the scene.
"Say! Say! Teme is that really her?" the blonde inquired, turning in the seat so his legs were outside the booth.
"Don't move," the dark hair man commanded, "lest we attract attention. Let's just wait for a moment." He drew a leg up to his chest, his booted foot pressing into the seat bench. He could sense the other's impatience, he could read him like an open book, the blond could not hide his emotions, and he effortlessly displayed them for anyone.
"Oi, what am I waiting for?" he hissed, briefly turning his eyes back to the man with the cool façade. The other lifted his hand, gesturing for him to close his mouth and wait. Even he was not a hundred percent certain if it was she. Following her because of a faint feeling, they needed something stronger, something he hoped they would soon get.
There, it happened when she rose from her seat, her voice ringing like a chime when she bid the girl in black and white farewell, her friend following her out the door. It sang like a soft ballad, rippled behind his eyes in waves of deep blues mixed with whites, the way the water wavered when a leaf touched the surface.
It felt like he was drowning and being resurrected all at once, his eyelids lowered as if it would ease the pleasant pain. He drew in a deep breath the moment the feeling vanished, the sounds of the café returning. "That," he stated, slapping some money on the table and standing, slipping out of the booth. "Come on, we're not done yet." His companion rose to his feet, shuffled out some money and followed quickly.
Sakura stretched and yawned… now she was all sleepy, the green tea had warmed her from the inside out, the sweet strawberry cake tickling her taste buds. She was ready to head on home, but she had no blankets or bed sheets. She defiantly needed those.
"Hey, Sakura, I have some things to do, you'll be okay, right?"
"Huh, oh, yes, I just need to go find some bed sheets, I think I'll walk around a bit." Ino and her said their goodbyes and parted ways. Sakura sighed and swung her arms a little as a means to keep awake. She looked at her wristwatch and frowned. It was getting late.
Bad things were filling her mind; her fear was creeping up on her… fast. She found the nearest shop and entered. Just a blanket and sheet she told herself, passing a couple looking at a really cute lamp. She eyed them a little, as she entered the aisle for bedspreads and blankets and pillows.
They were adorable, the girl was two times shorter than Sakura and she had long ebony hair and gray eyes, her smile was so cute, her eyes fluttering shut as her boyfriend pressed his finger to the tip of her nose before kissing her on the lips.
Sakura blushed and turned her head away, finding a white bedcover, pink and white blanket. She grabbed the two items and hurried to the checkout line. Sakura smiled to see the sun still about, her nerves and fears calmed when the clerk started talking to her. He was cute with dark eyes and hair. Maybe she would come again tomorrow after her shift if she were not too tired.
She left the store with her oversize bag of blankets and sheets and started home. It was frigid outside, strange weather for a hot late July day. She felt her skin rise and watched as the sun began to sink below the horizon. She was not afraid because there were cars and people on the street. She drew in a long breath to keep her nerves steady.
There was still a glint of light for her to find her way home, she would be fine, and she just had to keep bad thoughts away. She glanced around, holding her bag close to her body as she noted that there were no more people, no more cars. The cold wind kissed her skin and mussed her hair.
She was not afraid of ghosts or monsters because there were no such things... people were monsters. She let the bag fall back at her side and she did what her grandmother had taught her when there was a power outage. Think of happier things, things that bring about a smile.
It was working.
The trees rustled in the breeze and she heard the beating of wings, birds fleeing the trees and specking the sky until they disappeared. She wondered what was going on.
First, they had a strange thunderstorm at the beginning of July and now the evening air felt as though snow would start to fall. Sakura, Her muscles tensed, she closed her eyes and pressed a palm to her forehead, laughing softly at herself.
She was hearing things, she deemed it so because she never heard anything, rather it felt like a tickle at the back of her mind. A dark voice from within, not without.
…Sakura,
A little more forceful then before and she had to stop then. She looked around, her pulse quickening from fear and anger.
…Haruno Sakura.
"Who's there, show yourself!" she snapped, agitated, "Stop saying my name, it isn't funny!"
"I never thought you'd ask for me, but, I won't say I'm disappointed…" The voice was dark, the figure blanketed by shadows, the sun was gone, and the moon nowhere in the velvet sky, there were no winking stars either.
"I knew it was you, there's no mistaking the power behind your seal." This dark baritone voice was talking to her in riddles, she had no idea what he was talking about, and it was as if he were speaking to her in foreign language.
"You're as beautiful as your first form, you haven't been this lovely in the last few millennium, but of course then you've always slipped past me."
She could not breathe; she felt as though she were drowning, her brain was fuzzy. With every step he took, she thought she would faint, the darkness gathering at the corner of her vision.
Now when she could see his face her vision was blurry, his hand was slipping up under her shirt and she had no power to stop him. She was normally very ticklish, but she could feel only the numbness as his calloused fingers trailed higher.
His hand glided up the swell of her breast underneath the nylon bra she wore, then moved along the side her upper ribs until his hand was resting on her back. She heard of men having trouble with unclasping the eyehook, but he had no problems. It felt weird and she felt his short fingernails press against her scar.
On her back, underneath all her clothes, there was a large scar on her back. A large circle that covered her entire back and in the inside were several curved lines and tiny circles that resembled dots. She felt her eyes close as she fell against his torso.
His fingernail bit into her skin and she felt the warm, sticky slip of blood sliding down her back. There was no cry of pain, but she felt sick as he broke her skin, reopening such the old scar. She had it since birth; her grandmother had told her the story when she inquired about it.
Your father was an abusive drunk; if your Okaa-chan was not around and you were, he would take out his hate on you. Poor child that you are, he gave you that scar, because he thought your Okaa-chan was a Satanist and to mock her he gave you that scar.
She remember her grandmother hugging her then, telling her that only she loved her, was so happy to have a granddaughter, it was such a shame that both her parents didn't love her as much as her. It made Sakura cry to hear that even her mother did not love her, gave her away to keep her away.
She was crying now, from the memory, because there was no pain, only a warm body and a soft tearing sound and the feel of hot wetness on her back.
There were four diagonal lines from one end of the circle to the other, parallel and crossing each other like railing. There were a total of six 'dots' and he broke all eleven scars.
It was as though ice water splashed on her, she found her strength. Felt like a change had come over her or that someone had woken up inside her mind and was staring at the tall figure stumbling backwards as she shoved him away and took off, without her bag and her bra slipping down her shoulders while blood trailed down her open cuts.
Where she was going, she was not sure, but she found herself weaving through alleyways cluttered with trash, she could feel his shadow, following fluently behind her.
She felt so stupid, how she could let someone touch her like that, her cuts began to inflame and sting. She swallowed hard, her body protesting to every movement. She would blame heading into a dead-end on her screaming aches. She panted and thought three things.
She would be robbed.
She would be raped.
She would be murdered.
She turned around and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. How could it end like this, she had started a new life, she was going to die before her poor grandmother, her heart would be broken when she heard the news that Sakura had been killed.
It was coming down to fight or flight, she had tried flight, so maybe it was time to fight.
She opened her eyes just in time to see a body land gracefully in front of her; he stood straight and looked at her. She stared at him; he looked like the other, only shorter and his hair reflected in the now visible moon's light, making his hair seem deep blue.
"Hurry, teme that man's not far behind." She looked up to see a man in bright orange with blond hair, shouting down to the man in front of her in a crouched position; he made a very nice gargoyle.
She looked back down at the 'teme' to see him looking over his shoulder before he waved his hand in front of her face in a quick sweep and stretched his arms out. She blinked, wondering what he thought he was… a magician…
No, a hypnotist… because she felt faint again, but this time her knees buckled and she fell forward and downward, but he caught her smoothly in his arms and hoisted her up over his shoulder.
Taking hold of the metal ladder, he rested a foot on the first step and jumped up landing on the rooftop where his companion sat. "Do it now," he ordered.
"Jeez, teme, a simple please would be nice." but he did what was required of him. With his index finger he traced a half circle that left a visible golden trail as he drew a horizontal line jutting out the center, with the image glittering in the air, he rolled up his sleeve and pressed his palm flat against the image and they disappeared into the night.
"Very good, but you can't hide her forever." seethed the voice.
…
They placed Sakura carefully on an old mattress inside an abandon and condemned building. "She's so beautiful," the blond one whispered in awe, gliding his finger along her tear-stained cheek. "What do think," he asked, looking up at his friend, who was pushing the girl's body forward, "I think she would make an excellent life-mate."
Clenching his teeth, he shot a dark look with those impenetrable eyes. "Shut up!"
"…and to think you're the favorite."
"She's bleeding; a lot… her seal's been broken." he whispered, choosing to ignore his companions little remark. "Look at the writing." Naruto leaned over Sakura and saw the tattooed marks of ancient writing.
"If her seal is broken then she'll wake up right?"
"No… it's… incomplete." He said bringing a clean cloth to her back, rolling her onto her stomach and lifting her shirt all the way up over her flaccid arms and over her head. He discarded the shirt and moved the straps off her skin.
He heard the door creak open, but he continued to tend to Sakura's wounds. He was placing strips of gauze onto her injuries. "Is that her?" The new voice asked, the sounds of his shoes making the floorboards creak under his weight.
"Yeah, it's her, believe it! Neji-san, Sasuke says her seal's broken, but she won't wake."
"Sasuke…?"
Without looking up, he could feel the lavender eyes staring through him to the girl he was treating. "Naruto's right, this is her." He came to them then.
Crouching beside Sasuke and reaching his hand out to turn her face up. He blinked a little, the loose strand of his chocolate hair falling over his shoulder, the rest tied at the very ends in a wrap.
He wore a black pinstripe shirt under gray sleeveless tee, one bandaged arm lifting to press his bandaged hand to the tie around his forehead, covering the mark on his brow. "It is her, that's the seal Shikamaru gave her in the second Millennium. He broke it, didn't he."
He narrowed accusing eyes at Sasuke. "You were suppose to be watching her, how could you let him get so close, can you imagine what would have happened if he had completely broken the seal, she could have been his puppet."
"Just shut up all ready, she's safe isn't she? That's all that matters, besides telling her when she comes to."
"You're in for a rude awakening, Uchiha, even you won't be protected."
"Don't dare to threaten me, Hyuuga." he hissed back, his fingers leaving the sterile gauze as he shot a dark look of his own in Neji's direction. Both men stared menacingly at the other until Naruto thought it best to break the silence.
"The others will be back soon, so let's chill out till then, huh?" There was dark silence, but both complied, Neji standing and leaving the room, while Sasuke continued to treat Sakura's wounds.
So... tell me what you thought, go ahead, they don't but that selection button down there for no good reason, you know?