New Revelations Chapter 1
This takes place after Naruto and company return
from trying to bring Sasuke back to Konoha in chapter 236. The first
flashback Sakura has is composed of dialogue word for word from ch.
181 between her and Sasuke. All of which is from the brilliant mind
of Kishimoto-sensei, because I can't describe it as well as he can.
EDIT: 10/19/05 Fixed some grammatical errors.
Haruno Sakura sighed as she walked through the village of Konoha. They weren't able to bring Sasuke back. Poor Naruto looked really disappointed in himself. "He promised me after all," She thought. "No wonder he looked so sad when I found out." She hugged her sides as she continued to walk, not really having any particular destination in mind. Tsunade had honored her request to make Sakura her apprentice. She hoped that with her help and knowledge of medicine she could learn ways to be of more help to her friends, mostly Sasuke. Her mind flashed back to their confrontation the day he skipped town.
"Why are you prowling around here in the middle of the night?" he had asked her.
"I knew you'd come this way if you were to leave, so I just waited here." She had answered him, her heart breaking as she spoke ever so softly. So he was deciding to leave after all.
His face was so serious. "Get out of here and get back to sleep." He walked past her towards Konoha's gates.
Tears quietly ran down Sakura's face. "Why won't you say anything to me?" She let out. She was already losing her reserve. "Why do you always keep so quiet? You never say a single word to me."
He stopped. "I told you I don't need your help don't try to look after me."
Sakura didn't give up. "No matter what, you just always hate me don't you…you remember?" He said nothing. She continued. "When we became Genins the day our team was assigned you were so mad at me…" She paused remembering how he had told her she was so annoying.
"I don't remember that." He told her. Stopping her mid-reverie.
She smiled despite the painful blow he had just dealt and tried to play it cool. "Ha ha, yeah I guess you're right. It's all in the past huh?" "That's where it all began though, you, me, Kakashi-sensei, and Naruto. We did all kinds of missions together, and even though some were painful and difficult I still enjoyed it." She paused. He still stood there silent.
"I know all about your past Sasuke-kun. Even if you get revenge though it won't bring anyone happiness…not even you Sasuke…nor me."
"I already know that." He admitted. "I'm different from you all, we've always done everything in a group and now there's something I must do." He paused for a moment. "Deep inside my heart I've already decided upon revenge, and for that reason only do I live."
Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes. This couldn't be Sasuke-kun. Why couldn't he understand that he didn't need to do this? What had happened?
"I'll never be like you or Naruto." He said.
Sakura began to let her heart pour out. "Do you really want to go back to being alone? You told me how painful it was to be alone! Right now I know your pain. I know I have friends and family…but," She sniffed. "But if you were to leave…"her voice broke, she was crying now. "To me…I would be just as alone as you."
Sasuke stood like a stone. "From here on out we all begin new paths." He said and began walking to the gates again.
Sakura felt her heart breaking, but decided to make one last attempt to pull him back to her. "I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART!" She yelled after him. He stopped. She let everything off her chest, "IF YOU STAY HERE WITH ME THERE WOULD BE NO REGRETS…WE'D DO SOMETHING FUN EVERYDAY, WE'D BE HAPPY, I SWEAR!" He continued to stand still. "I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR YOU, I'D EVEN HELP WITH YOUR REVENGE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I COULD DO, BUT I'LL TRY MY BEST TO DO SOMETHING!" She continued in a quieter voice. "So please stay with me…or take me with you if you can't stay here." What had she done? She had told him everything about how she felt without giving it a second thought.
He turned and faced her. "You really are annoying." He said with that signature Sasuke half grin she always admired.
She lost it then. "DON'T LEAVE! IF YOU DO I'LL SCREAM!" She hollered after him forgetting that she already was kind of screaming.
He appeared behind her. "Sakura." She held her breath. He was right behind her. Was this it? Would he come back? Had she changed his mind? "Thank you." He said. And like that he was gone. Sakura collapsed on a nearby bench too weak and broken to do much else.
She snapped out of her flashback. "Sasuke-kun." She thought. She shook her head. "No more crying!" She thought holding back tears again. She spotted a rock near some trees and plopped down. Everything in Konoha looked perfect today, the sky was clear and the weather was warm and breezy. It was almost as if the little village had no idea that Sasuke had even left.
In the midst of all the chaos, Gaara found himself sitting in a hospital room with Rock Lee. He couldn't help but think of the irony of the situation. Not so long ago he had stood in this very room with intentions to kill Lee, but that was before. Gai-sensei was fawning over his precious student while Gaara sat there staring at them. He still thought Gai was a weirdo, but at least now he realized he wasn't the only one who did. Gai was lecturing Lee when Shikamaru came in.
"Yo!" He greeted Gaara. "So you came to join our cause too?"
"Yes." Gaara answered simply. He still wasn't completely used to having casual conversations with people yet.
"Kind of funny almost seeing you both here like this." Shikamaru gestured in Lee's direction.
Lee broke free of Gai's super hug, "He saved me Shikamaru-san!" "I would have been killed for sure if he hadn't appeared!"
Gai appeared in front of Gaara with tears streaming down his face, "Thank you for saving my Lee!"
"It's no problem." He answered calmly. He wasn't used to accepting praise like this from anyone yet either, especially from someone as out there as Gai.
"How did your team hold up Shikamaru?" Lee asked clearly concerned.
"We're okay, we suffered some injuries, but everyone's expected to pull through. However, we failed to obtain Sasuke." Shikamaru finished his sentence slowly as if he didn't want to believe it. "Naruto found him, but he wasn't able to bring him back. He's really upset about it."
"Uzumaki is here?" Gaara asked.
"Yeah right across the hall actually." Shikamaru said scratching the back of his head.
"I must speak with him." And with that he got up and sought out Naruto.
When he entered the room he couldn't believe the person he saw before him was the same Uzumaki Naruto he had seen before. He was staring straight up at the ceiling and his head was dressed in bandages. He looked sad lying there like he was deep in thought, probably about his encounter with Sasuke. He sat up in surprise when Gaara entered the room.
"Uzumaki Naruto I presume." He greeted him.
"You're that sand guy! Gaara of the Desert!"
He nodded.
"What are you doing around here?"
"The Hokage assigned my group to help yours against Orochimaru." He felt comfortable talking to Naruto, awkward still, but more normal. He and Naruto were practically the same. They both had monsters living inside them. They both knew the pain of loneliness, and the need to be recognized. Naruto had been luckier than him though, he at least had lots of friends. Gaara had his team, but they weren't exactly a close-knit bunch.
"So I guess you've heard then." Naruto said with his head down. "About Sasuke."
"Yes. Shikamaru told me, he said that you fought him and nearly died." This last statement stirred something in Naruto, he looked angry, not at Gaara, but with himself.
"Baka Sasuke, you're such a coward!" He muttered. "I promised Sakura-chan…I promised her that I'd definitely bring Sasuke back and I failed her. She looked so frightened and disappointed when she heard that the mission wasn't a success…I didn't want her to be sad so I told her I'd get him back even if it means my life." He smiled suddenly. "I wasn't just saying it either…I MEANT IT."
Gaara found this trait of Naruto's interesting. He was willing to do anything for his friends. They were so precious to him. He wondered what it was like to have precious people. He recalled the aftermath of his and Naruto's battle.
"The pain of being alone is not an easy one to bear…your feelings…why is it that I can understand your pain? But I have people that are important to me now…I won't let you hurt those people important to me now. Even if you try to kill them I will stop you!"
His reserve had been incredible. Naruto was stronger than he was because of his love for others. His need to keep them alive gave him all the power to protect them and defeat all who opposed him. "Someday, even I will love." Gaara had promised himself that day. He didn't have a single friend.
"Uzumaki…you were as alone as I was, what changed that?"
Naruto looked at Gaara thoughtfully. Gaara had changed a lot since the last time they had met. Their battle really made an impression on him. He was still serious as hell, and he doubted that he had ever smiled outside of bloodlust, but he was no longer the cold and menacing demon he had met during the Chuunin exams.
"When I was a kid no one liked me. Everyone hated and despised me. I probably would have lived just as you had, but my sensei Master Iruka acknowledged me." He smiled at the memory. "When I first found out I was the demon fox, Master Iruka stood up for me. He called me one of his best students even though all I did was fuck around, he said I was a hard worker and I knew what it was like to feel pain. He said, 'he isn't the demon fox anymore, but a citizen of Konohagakure Village.'" "He was the first person who ever treated me like I was human, and not a monster." "I still drove him crazy though, but even after all I had done he would still treat me to a bowl of ramen." He looked up at Gaara who was hanging on to his every word.
He shifted before speaking. "It was different for me. No one acknowledged my existence. The one person whom I thought I could trust betrayed me and lied to me. I had no one after that." He stared at the floor. "Sometimes I wonder if I will ever know the happiness of having friends."
Naruto smiled. "What are you talking about Sand-man?" "You've just made one!" He grinned from ear to ear.
Gaara stared at him incredulously. "Uzumaki you never fail to amaze me." He said and made his way to the door. Naruto grinned, Gaara was an okay guy.
"See you around then Sand-man!"
Gaara didn't know what to make of Uzumaki Naruto, but the determined kitsune had made him feel better about himself, and as he made his way down the hall of the hospital he actually smiled.
(awwww ain't that sweet? ) End of Chapter 1.
