Hello readers! I'm back after a stressful semester at uni. I will be updating the other stories. Promise. But I got inspired to write this fic from listening to a Bon Jovi song. It is SasuSaku, and it takes place mostly in his POV. Sasuke is a bit OC-ish, mainly because I'm making him internally snide.

I do not own Naruto or the characters.

(Sasuke's POV)

It has been a year and a half since I left the village to embark on my redemption journey. Since I promised someone…I'm still unsure of it. It's not that I don't-never mind. I don't understand any of this. It's been a long time since I had to return love. Maybe if she moved on with Naruto, she would be happy but she's so darn stubborn.

Anyway.

I have just finished meeting with Orochimaru regarding a lead on a potential threat to a small village I am in service with. I sigh. It's all part of the journey to my redemption. If I can prove to the world that I'm a good man, maybe I can finally be deserving to-never mind.

My mind keeps doing that. I'll think about my mission or something mundane and it wanders to…her. This is annoying, like her. She's annoying, getting stuck in my head all the time. I can't look at pink without thinking of her and my promise. Living where her namesake grows and blooms doesn't help it either.

I huff.

Just focus on the mission, I counsel myself. Orochimaru said that the threat that was terrorizing the village was a small gang. Great, not this again. Apparently, they were poisoning the crops and the water supply. This is really more her forte. I bet she could make an antidote.

Maybe I should send for her...

Absolutely not! I have to leave her out of this.

Damn it, not these thoughts again.

Making my way to the small village, I hear a scream come from within it. I run toward the scream and find a small child being terrorized by some thug. Jumping in the middle of the altercation, I prepare to end the thug's life quick and painlessly but notice a peculiar symbol that rests on his right shoulder. A moon with three eyes. The same symbol that was graffitied all over the village when the gang would strike.

Change of plans. I quickly knock him out and carry his body to a secluded place outside of the village. If he's wearing that symbol, he could possibly be a part of that gang. I take out my water bottle and spray him with it. He wakes up, choking and sputtering. "Wha-Where am I? Who are you?" He asks, panicking. I activate my Sharingan and say in an ominous voice, "You and I are going to have a little chat." The tomoes spin and the man blacks out again.

Using the Tsukuyomi, I glean information from the thug. I learned that he is in fact part of the gang, which apparently is called "Followers of the Empty Eyes." What kind of gang calls themselves that? Doesn't make sense at all.

Another thing I learned was that the gang was having a meeting somewhere near here soon.

I decide to stake out the meeting.

I run through the trees to find the meeting place, an empty field with an odd stone in the center, and find a hiding place to stake out the meeting. I would inspect the stone but it's too close to the meeting time, I can't risk getting caught.

I open my ninja pouch to find something to eat. Pulling out a power bar from my rations, I was just about to open it when I felt cold steel against my neck.

How did I not sense this intruder? His chakra is completely masked as if it didn't exist in the first place.

He speaks, "What's this? A spy? At our gang's secret meeting? Well we can't have that."

A cloud of smoke appears as a log takes my place. The intruder looks around shocked that I disappeared. On a higher branch on another tree, I analyze my opponent and my options. Soon other members will be here, I better finish him quick. Lightning erupts around my hand as I charge at the unsuspecting back of my opponent. His figure dissipates in thin air, and appears on the branch of another tree. Damn it, I missed.

We engage in battle, blocking each other's punches until he jumps back and screams. The scream was unbearable, nothing a human or animal could emit. Otherworldly. He stops and smiles, "Soon my brothers will be here." I mentally curse and activate my Mangekyou Sharingan. I set him on fire with Amaterasu and he quickly crumples to the floor in agony. That was easy. Too easy.

I hear a rustle and turn to face the new intruder. A young boy, no older than ten, approaches me. Still on guard, I approach him wondering if he was kidnapped. He smiles maliciously and attacks me. Like a gunshot setting off a horse race, other gang members jump out from their hiding spots and attack me. I try fight them off and gain some distance.

Let's make this easy. I activate Amaterasu to burn them all. Watching the black flames engulf the five gang members as they crumple down in agony. Satisfied, I turn but feel a small prick of a senbon hitting my jugular. I turn back to them to see the flames gone and the five gang members unburned and poised to attack. The young child holding another senbon, ready to strike.

Shocked, I try to find reasoning behind this turn of events. How can they deactivate Amaterasu? Only I can do that.

We engage once more, my movements gradually becoming heavier and more difficult. The senbon! It had poison. But I'm immune after Orochimaru's experiments, it can't be!

I have to get out of here.

I make a clone to distract them and escape. Running through the trees at breakneck speed, I collapse at a river and wretch my insides. Splashing some water on my face and drinking from my bottle, my mind races for a plan. I am clearly outnumbered, they are immune to my Amaterasu, I am poisoned with an unknown toxin and I'm about to die.

I can't die…not yet...I promised.

I PROMISED! I have to call for help. As much as I hate to.

Grumbling, I call a hawk and write my message on a scroll and attach it.

Freeing the hawk, I turn unsteadily to the rustling bushes.

They caught up to me. I hope this isn't my last fight.

Using the last of my energy, I activate Susanoo'o and engage them in battle. Blocking their attacks, and dealing my own, I spot a figure standing away from the fight. "That was fast", I mumble. But with a closer look, I see the gang symbol on the cloak and red eyes. Red eyes exactly like mine.

My Susanoo'o dissipates and I am bombarded by my opponents. I feel my strength fading, I turn and try to cross the river using the river-walking technique. They stand at the river's edge, watching me. The young boy throws another senbon, I weakly attempt to dodge it but it hits my shoulder.

My chakra wavers, I fall into the river and I see black.

I can't die…

I promised….

I'm sorry Sakura.

Damn that was long and chilling. I miss writing fanfiction. Hope you enjoyed it. Chapter 2 will be up soon.