Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters.

Why, yes. I'm starting another story! This one kind of caught my eye while I was writing drabbles, and while I'm still processing it through my head a little bit, I hope you enjoy what I've got to write this time around. This will be in the ninja world, but it is a Reincarnation AU! I'll explain more with the next chapter, but for now, enjoy this prologue, my loves.

Reviews would be lovely, whether they're concrit, letting me know how I'm doing, or just to say hello! Let me know what you think so far! Also, a huge thank you to EphemeralSakura for taking the time to read through this and give me some insight! Thank you so much. :)

Prologue
the last of your kisses
was ever the sweetest.
- john keats

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

His obsidian eyes watch as her tender fingertips trace the edge of the water, leaving ripples in her wake. The koi fish in the pond press their small lips to the surface, only to taste the sweetness of her skin on the water, then bounce away.

Her long, beautiful hair is pulled to the side. A braid, hanging loosely over her shoulder comes to rest at the base of her rib cage, while the pink tresses catch lightly in the blowing breeze.

He can't help but soak up the beauty that she portrays. Her skin is ivory, light scars painting her knuckles where she has downed many enemies in the past, and although she's strong - mentally and physically - he still kisses her knuckles with soft lifts before the day ends.

The sun is setting now, his dark eyes watch as the last rays of light shine over her beautiful figure, bathing her in the golden light. When her eyes meet his, he can't tell the difference in whether this is a dream or reality.

"Are you ready to go, darling?" Her soothing voice broke the silence, much like the smile that broke out on her pale ruby lips.

He couldn't help but adore her, adore those gorgeous eyes and loving smile. The smile she only smiled at him. When he shook his head, she stood from her spot near the pond and began taking steps towards him.

Their house wasn't far from this forest sanctuary that the two of them had stumbled upon during their daily adventure that day. It was an every day thing for the two of them. Leave when the first light hits the sky in the morning, adventure throughout the day, discover new things, and then leave as the sun sets in the farthest corner of the sky.

"What are you thinking about?" She asks gently, her hand coming to meet his in the center between their bodies. Her soft fingers intertwine with his as they walk through the greenery, her white robe picking up small blades of grass and dried up leaves along the way.

He thought about his answer as he looked back to her. Her emerald eyes remained on the road ahead, while her small body frame swayed with each step she took. Although the answer sat on the tip of his tongue, he still pondered on whether or not it was worth saying.

She already knew the answer.

He changed his mind, "what does our future hold?" He answers her question with a question of his own.

Her body halts abruptly before she shoots him a look of concern. Her lips part slightly before her hand drops to her side.

The breeze from earlier picked up and moved her rose quartz hair with each gust that blew between the two of them. While he stood tall, a little over six feet, she stood only at five-foot-five, and the height difference was something he adored.

She remains quiet, her eyes dropping to the forest floor. The light is dim now, twilight entering the atmosphere with deep oranges and darkening reds. The clouds overhead bask in the yellow-golden light, reflecting the last remaining light that the day has to offer.

"I'm not sure, love."

The answer doesn't upset him, but he nods his head before pulling her back to his own body, his lips pressing lightly to her forehead. She tastes of spring, after the first rain that takes place and he can't help but savor the refreshing flavor.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?" She finally laughs out as her hands come to rest on his chest.

"Don't worry about it," he mumbles through closed lips as he continues his long, wet kiss.

He could remember this moment for the rest of her life; her under his arm, their shadows expanding up the trees, while he kept his lips to her skin.

When he pulls away, he presses one more small kiss to her temple before pulling her hand and body along behind him. "Come, it's getting dark."

And with the sun, they leave for the night.

xxx

"You know we can't hide forever," she says one night.

Sasuke refuses to look at her while his stomach pulls tighter with a growing knot.

It had been three years since they ran away.

Not only from their homes, but from their home town, friends, family and everyone else that looked up to the two of them.

"Tch, it's your birthday. The least you could do is enjoy the last hours of light, then we can talk about this tomorrow."

With a click of his tongue, he turned his back to her. His dark eyes stung with regret, regret that he had ever offered the idea of running away and leaving everything behind. With a life like theirs, it was complicated to grow old together when his family had already planned his own future for him.

He was never supposed to end up with Sakura, not when she was born to a family of normal civilians. Unlike Sasuke, she had grown up in poverty, under the roof that leaked whenever it rained, and became too cold for a girl to survive in the winter. While her parents had passed away when she was young, Sakura continued to grow and thrive for a life that wasn't in misery anymore.

The day they first met flashed before his eyes as he made his way to their back porch. The moon hung low in the sky, much like the first night they met.

Her fists were bleeding, her face scratched and bruised and her body soaked in a pool of her own blood. His eyes grew with concern when he crossed paths with her, and not only did he pick her up and spoil his own clothing, but he rushed her straight to his family's home, requesting and begging for help.

Unlike his father, his mother helped heal Sakura back to health; the only agreement was that she would be gone once healed.

With each passing day, Sasuke would change her bandages, bring her food and water, sit in the room and coax her to talk to him. The day that she finally did, her voice was like a beautiful melody and he couldn't believe his ears with how lovely she sounded, even in her condition.

"Why didn't you let me die."

She was assertive, her shell and barriers still up while she rested in the home of one of the most well known clans of their village.

"Don't be stupid, you were hurt," Sasuke retorted, his dark eyes watching the muscles in her throat move with each sip of water that she took.

Her wounds had been healing nicely, thanks to the medicinal herbs and salves that he had gotten his hands on. She was moving, something that was great progress in the last couple of days. When he stood from his seat, the girl was startled, her face turned towards him and eyes narrowed.

That was when he noticed just how green and perfect her eyes were. While her right eye remained swollen, she still looked to him with anger in her posture and fire in her eyes.

"That doesn't give you a reason to save someone who has little importance in this world," her tone was cast in ice, stuttering slightly. When she looked the opposite direction as him, he could see the trembling begin in her shoulders.

She remained quiet, as did Sasuke. He could see in the way her body moved, that she was stifling her soft sobs. Sasuke could only feel his heart pull in his chest as she remained to herself. He knew that something terrible had happened to this girl, and while he was still a stranger in her world, he wanted to change that.

"I'll give you your space," he offered before his footfalls echoed against the wooden walls. She didn't reply, only lie her head back down on her pillow while the rise and fall of her chest came in shallow and fast movements.

Before he exited her room, he offered his final words before leaving her be for the night. "Don't belittle yourself because of something someone said about you. I know you're strong."

Like his footfalls, his words echoed in the room. But Sakura's soft sobs quieted down, and her breathing slowed. He watched as she turned her head slightly, emerald green eyes staring into his own dark pools, and it was there that he caught his first glimpse of her beautiful smile.

Heart warming and radiant.

It was there that Sasuke found himself falling for an absolute stranger, yet she felt vaguely familiar in a million different ways.

xxx

"It's time," Sakura spoke as she finished pulling her black sweater over her head. Her long, silk tresses fell in waves that framed her high cheek bones and gorgeous green eyes.

It was dawn, the sun still hiding from the moon while her and Sasuke set out from their home.

Morning greeted them, and along with it came a sky filled with gray and air filled with rain. She welcomed the rain, informing him that it would cover the sound of their steps, and mask their scent as they traveled further away from their home, and further away from the village that haunted their dreams.

Hours passed and not a word had been said. Sasuke could feel the crackling atmosphere between the two of them, and as much as he wanted to pull her into a hug and embrace that storm cloud that encased her body, he knew that Sakura was brooding, waiting to be released.

The sun didn't show that day and while Sasuke got an uncomfortable feeling in his chest, he continued to follow the love of his life. Today wasn't a day for adventure. It was the day that they would run and run and run like hell; everything that got left behind was now in the past and wouldn't hold a part in their future.

He noticed that the one thing Sakura did take though, was the necklace he gave her before they deserted the village.

It was the one thing she ever took along with her when it came to moving on to somewhere new. That, a small bag of clothes, any medicinal herbs she could forage and him.

Sasuke couldn't take the lingering thoughts within his own mind anymore. She was at arm's length, and when his hand found her shoulder and pulled her to him, she was caught in his embrace. Her pink tresses fell in a waterfall, blowing in the night's chill as Sasuke's other arm surrounded her shoulders and he came to rest his cheek against her head.

He could feel it now, her trembling body and sounds of soft sobs escaping her throat.

It was like a knife to his chest, turning and twisting with each sound that escaped. The clouds overhead weaved in a gray and black pattern, threatening the couple with hours of rain upon rain, but Sasuke didn't care. He needed her, needed her to know that he was here and that's all that mattered.

When Sakura's arms came to surround him, it was when she pulled her face away to look into his own eyes. Black smudges from her elegant make up surrounded viridian eyes as the tears streamed down her high cheek bones.

"It's all coming to an end," she spoke through a cracked voice.

It wasn't always that Sakura cried, but when she did, it seemed like everything around her fell apart as well.

With her tears, fell rain from the clouds. It sputtered around them, coating the greenery in small droplets of water, until everything was enveloped in a torrential downpour. When she buried her face into his neck, he could feel the warm liquid running from her eyes, and it only pained him further.

"I'm going to lose you. After all that we've been through, after everything we've overcome, it's coming to an end."

Words of truth and nothing more fell from her lips as they stood in the rain. Their clothes became drenched, his dark locks sticking to his face, while Sakura's cherry blossom hair became stringy and soaked, sticking to her body as she pulled away.

He kept his hand attached firmly to hers, looking her deeply in the eyes as his chest pulsed with an immense amount of pain. "You won't lose me."

"They're getting closer. We need to move," she spoke softly as she wiped the remaining tears that mixed with rain from her face.

Her fingers gripped his hand tighter as she pulled him along behind her. Through the rain covered trees, puddles of mud and drowning land, he followed closely along behind her. Mud and dirt clung to their clothes and shoes before they came to an opening in the trees and he could feel her hesitation.

If there was anything that Sasuke knew, Sakura wouldn't put either of them in harm's way. And he knew that if they entered that opening, they would be exposed and easily spotted.

His beating heart quickened in pace as Sakura turned to their left, pulling his body away from the opening and farther into the cover of the forest.

She ran, and ran and kept her hand firmly attached to his. He could feel the strength she possessed only by the way she pulled him along, and if it wasn't for his speed, he'd be drug along behind her body.

After what seemed like another hour of running, their way had been blocked by a curtain of darkness. With the sun completely faded from the sky, the moon didn't offer its face that night; both the moon and sun scared for what their future held. Instead of continuing on, Sakura halted once more, her heaving breathing filled the secluded area.

She couldn't see, but Sasuke could. He could see everything, and it felt all the more unreal. As darkness surrounded them, he took the lead and it was his turn to pull her along behind him.

"Where are we going?" She asked out of panic.

"Do you trust me?" His question sang along with minimal chirping of bugs.

Sakura remained quiet, only her grip on his hand tightened as she followed with ease. "Y-yes, darling."

"Good, then just keep following me."

Through more puddles of mud and brushing by tree trunks that ran with water, he could see yet another opening. The feeling of guilt welled in his stomach, canceling out the sound of his beating heart as they grew closer.

He could feel it in his mind that things were coming to an end; no matter how far they ran, no matter how hard they fought, their fall was coming.

Sasuke's next step into the open was hesitant, but when Sakura spoke, he could feel the shattering of his heart.

"It's okay. I trust you."

It was odd, the way his heart twisted and broke while his emotions betrayed him. Tears pushed themselves past his dark eyes as he took that first step into the opening. He could already see it, the way their bodies stood out in the open.

It was nothing like he imagined it. Their eyes were all filled with hate, their faced painted over with an emotionless glare as they watched both him and Sakura emerge from the cover of the forest.

Rain continued to fall from the skies, casting a sheer sheet across the open field the closer they grew to their predators.

"Sasuke Uchiha," a deep, thunderous voice filled the fuzzy air.

Sakura's grip tightened, causing an uncomfortable and bone crushing feeling in his hand. He didn't care though, he pulled her close and kept her under his protection.

"You've come far, but it's time to end this once and for all. Release her and come to us."

He didn't move, didn't give in to the commands of that familiar voice. Beside the speaker, stood his brother, Itachi.

His eyes glowed, not with hatred, but with concern. He didn't look like the rest of them, no. Itachi's eyes remained on the pooling water between both Sasuke and the group that he arrived with. Sasuke kept his eyes on Itachi, hoping for the slightest bit of help, but when Itachi looked up, it was like the blood in his body vanished and he could no longer breathe.

"Sasuke!" The harsh words cut through his thoughts as he held Sakura closed.

She remained quiet, her muscles trembling from the scene unfolding. Sakura didn't cry, she only clenched her fingers into his clothing as their words grew louder, commands coming in from every which direction.

"If you don't return with us, we will kill her where she stands."

Like that, his vision went black and white. His heart beat ever so slowly within his chest as he thought about a life without Sakura. He wouldn't witness her die, he wouldn't live in a world that didn't include her. He just couldn't.

Sasuke also knew that either way, they wouldn't allow her to return with them when they went back to the village. She would be left on her own, fending for herself as she continued running.

His mind was torn, his body separating slightly from Sakura's as he grasped her chin in his hands and titled her face to look up at his.

"I can't watch you die," Sasuke felt his voice crack while his heart crawled to his throat.

The tears in the corners of his eyes disobeyed every order, threatening to fall from his cheeks to hers as her eyes remained on his.

"I won't let them kill you-"

"You're running out of time. Come with us, or she dies."

The panic in his mind whirled out of control and before he could finish his thoughts, his lips pressed firmly against her, sealing their love with a kiss that meant good bye. Soot black hair stuck to his face as he savored the taste of her on his lips, the way her skin felt beneath his fingers, how her hair spilled over her shoulders and stuck to each piece of clothing she wore.

When Sasuke pulled away, he could see the tears pooling in her emerald green eyes once more that night and as he took his first step away, he felt every bit of himself stay with her.

"I'll find you," he promised, his head still turned towards her as his feet carried him through puddles of mud and water that spotted the area.

No matter how dirty she was, how sopping wet she was, he would never forget the heart shattering look in her eyes. She was strong, not only physically, but emotionally and mentally, and seeing Sakura this hurt and broken only tore and shredded his heart to pieces.

Goosebumps rose on his skin, making his teeth chatter and mind chill over with thoughts of leaving her in a storm like this.

It reflected how he felt at this point in time as the thunder from overhead crashed across the skies, soaring from each cloud of gray and descending upon the soaked land. Water ran from his ravenous hair, down his aristocratic face, to the ground beneath his feet as he carried his body towards Itachi, towards the thunderous voice of his father.

When he took another look at Itachi, it was like he could see his world turning upside down. Those dark eyes of his brother spoke silent words, but when Sasuke turned his head back to Sakura, it was like his world had completed flipped and shattered into pieces.

Each drop of rain that fell from the sky was like a piece of his world, scattering quickly against the forest floor.

While his eyes continued to work thoroughly in the dark, he could see the simple arrow shot completely through her chest, penetrating her heart perfectly. An ear shattering cry ripped through his throat as his obsidian eyes widened, making the picture of Sakura's hunched over body all the more clear.

Sasuke took one step, two, until his arms began to swing and carry his body to hers.

Until he was caught and held upon his own will. He fought, yelled, screamed, did everything he could to get out of the clutches of the Uchiha clan as Sakura's body made contact with ground. His mind was a fire, electricity coursing through his veins as he fought to free himself from his conviction, but nothing came out of it. Hand after hand, he was pulled back and away from Sakura.

Lightning spread through the clouds, flashing in spurts of a white, blinding light. He could see her rose quartz hair sticking out from the darkening mud and while her body continued to tremble from far away, Sasuke felt it in his heart that he would never forgive anyone.

He hated them.

Hated them for taking her away.

Hated them all for killing her.

And while he felt powerless in the grip of every person that his father had brought along, something in his eyes changed and everything was in slow motion. He could see each droplet of water falling from overhead, each course of lightning before it made its way through the gray and black clouds, until it came descending down and crashed into the drowned land.

He could see the way Sakura's eyes found his own and the softest of smiles painting her face.

His heart transcended to a world of hate and darkness when she mouthed those three words.

"I trust you."