Author's Note: I'm writing a few one-shots to help me get through the epic I'm currently working on, which is severely kicking my ass. The problem is I value characterization, so I spend a great amount of time on detail. However, I still take verbosity into consideration, and finding that balance is key. Hopefully, this set of low-maintenance material will keep me from going completely insane as I hammer things out.
Disclaimer: The characters of Naruto are not mine. They're the property of Masashi Kishimoto. I do not, and never will, make any money from this story.
Genre: Angst/Tragedy
Rating: M
Characters: Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura
Setting: Ninja-verse
Words: 3,295
Two friends, who had only seen glimpses of each other over the last few years, stared at one another in silence. One was behind bars made solely of chakra that crackled and popped in warning of the danger of getting too close. The other stood shrouded in darkness, watching the surreal scene before his eyes. Unsurprisingly, it was Naruto that spoke first.
"I had to see it to believe it," he said, as he looked Sasuke over and then gave him a wry smile. Sasuke's face remained like a stone, as his eyes appeared to be dancing with the chakra that filled the room. His voice; however, was flat and monotone.
"So it has come to this," he said while maintaining Naruto's gaze. Naruto quickly looked away, and muttered under his breath, before turning around with another smile.
"I'm glad you're back," he said, and Sasuke swiftly interjected.
"They made me come back," he stated, and Naruto's smile developed a sad tint.
"I know," he said softly, while looking at Sasuke's feet, before looking up with teary eyes.
"They succeeded where I failed," he replied, and Sasuke moved closer to the light, finally ready to speak to what was once his best friend. But, before he could open his mouth, Naruto's body began to twitch faintly, and Sasuke could hear him muttering no, repeatedly. The chakra in the room started going haywire, causing the ground to lightly shake, and the already dim lights to flicker. Then, as quickly as it started, it stopped.
"Naruto," Sasuke called out, now openly concerned. Naruto's head slowly lifted to reveal red eyes, and a smile that could never be considered human.
"Boo," he said in a deep voice, which caused Sasuke to back up until he hit the wall. This caused the nine-tails to roar with laughter. He threw his head back and cackled as though there was no tomorrow. Sasuke looked from wicked eyes, to elongated fangs and claws, and wondered just what in the hell was this pulsating, humanoid that was once Naruto.
"Monster," Sasuke whispered, with wide eyes. To the nine-tails, it may as well have been yelled, because he heard it loud and clearly.
"Takes one to know one, kid," he said with a grin, before stretching in ways the human body never should. Sasuke looked on in horror as his eyes filled with tears. The ever-vigilant demon noticed, which lead to another chorus of cackles. Finally, not being able to take anymore, Sasuke bolted from the room, echoes of laughter haunting him along the way.
He ran up the stairs, and down the corridor until he collided with a warm body. With his mind reeling and eyes glancing around at near feverous levels, he almost didn't recognize whom he had crashed into. It wasn't until the sweet and concerned face morphed into one of pure hatred that he regained control of himself.
"Get the fuck off of me," Sakura hissed, as she used her full strength to push him away. Luckily for Sasuke, he was already in mid lift, so he escaped the brunt of the shove, and only crashed into the wall instead of going through it. By the time he was on his feet; however, Sakura was halfway down the hall.
"What happened to him?" Sasuke called out to her, not needing to specify who him was. Sakura promptly ignored him, and continued on with her stiff, yet brisk pace. Deciding that his concern was more important at the moment, Sasuke put his pride aside, and jogged up to her.
"What happened to him, Sakura? Tell me," he said as he caged her in with his arms. Now that he was up close, he could see that her breathing was strained, and that she was fighting to control it.
"Remove your arms, and do not touch me. Don't ever touch me, again," Sakura ground out quietly, and Sasuke dropped his arms. However, he didn't back away. He stood his ground, and continued to stare at her, patiently waiting for answers.
Not wanting to look into his depths, Sakura leaned against the wall, and closed her eyes, trying to regain control. Sasuke waited for a few moments, before he decided that he wanted answers right then and there.
"Sakura," he said in a tone that was neither questioning nor demanding, yet said everything all at once. Sakura opened her eyes to mere slits as she regarded him.
"You have no right to question anything that happens in this village," she replied with a hint of malice. Whether it was noticed or not, it didn't faze Sasuke. His gaze remained clear and focused. He always had more patience than Sakura, and that was proven when she spoke again.
"It was too much for him to deal with," she stated bitterly, "It was just too much." Emotion then began to return to her face, and her eyes took on a faraway look, as she began to speak again.
"After all of the hell with fighting and defeating Akatsuki, losing both Tsunade and Kakashi, stopping you from killing everybody, then rebuilding this village, Naruto was tired. But… he was happy. He was so happy, because he finally had everybody's respect. He had finally achieved his dream of becoming hokage. However, the most important thing to him was that you were back in the village," she said, as she looked straight into Sasuke's eyes.
"He was so excited, that he pardoned all of your crimes," Sakura added with amused anger, which caused Sasuke to look away. He already knew what was coming next, he had lived it. But, he also understood that he had to pay a price to get information out of Sakura. If taking a trip down memory lane was that price, then so be it.
"Get on with it," he stated quietly, and Sakura's face lifted in a malicious smile.
"Imagine his surprise when once again, you defected. Not only did you leave, but you teamed up with rogue nations, and attacked the village again. So, after not even a year, we were right back to where we started. You caused this village to be plunged into another ninja war. Do you have any idea how many people we've lost? How many kids and civilians? Do you?" she yelled as her whole body tensed, ready to attack at any second. Removing Sasuke's head wasn't going to change anything, but it would have been a nice start.
"What do you want me to say, Sakura?" Sasuke responded calmly, as his eyes showed emotion for the first time since they had crashed into one another. Sakura looked at him in abhorrence, before her eyes filled with tears.
"Naruto tried everything in his power to stop what was happening. He pushed himself to the limit and beyond to save this village, and to save you," she said as she looked into Sasuke's eyes, hoping for Naruto's sake that he cared, if only just a little. She obviously found a tiny grain of what she was looking for, because after a moment she continued.
"He would go for days without food or sleep, fight a battle, and then train until he collapsed. The constant strain caused him to weaken. He weakened not only physically, but emotional and mentally as well. That weakness disrupted the bond between him and the nine-tails, because unlike the other demons, forming a partnership with the fox is almost impossible. But, Naruto managed by earning its respect. However, once he showed weakness that respect was lost, and the demon took over," Sakura informed as she fought back tears. She took a moment to contain herself, before she continued once again.
"Naruto was powerless to stop it. The fox's chakra network didn't just merge with his, it devoured it. He's only hanging on by a thread. So, now, it is him that lives behind the seal, and the fox owns the body," Sakura concluded as the tears finally fell. However, there was no weakness in her face, just cold rage.
"Now, you have your answer. Are you satisfied?" she asked with a quirked eyebrow. Unlike Sakura, Sasuke's fury was hot and furious. It hadn't been chilled and hardened like what flowed through his old teammate.
"Why? Why does it keep him alive? What's the purpose?" he yelled, and Sakura hmphed.
"How the hell am I supposed to know that? Maybe it wants opposable thumbs. Maybe it wants to watch us suffer. I don't know. It's clearly its call," she responded coolly, and waited for Sasuke to reply. She could see that this information was affecting him, and she was just happy to have him suffering with the rest of them. What they say is true, misery loves company.
"Perhaps there's a way…" Sasuke began, and Sakura quickly cut him off.
"Didn't you hear a word I've said? His chakra network is virtually gone. Naruto is nothing more than a parasite now, and the fox knows it. That's why he likes to play games with us, especially me," she informed, and Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"I guess you've encountered it as well," she added with a bitter laugh.
"You sit there and talk to Naruto, sometimes for hours, and you get a little hope that maybe, just maybe, there's a way to save him. Then, the moment you blink, that thing is sitting there laughing like hell. It's like it knows when you've regained a little hope, so it appears just to squash it back down," she continued, and Sasuke shivered. Sakura looked at him with pity, and just shook her head.
"It's over, Sasuke," she said quietly, and then started making her way back down the corridor. Sasuke watched her walk away for a moment, but couldn't let the matter dissolve. He had so many questions, that his brain wasn't even forming full sentences, before jumping on to the next. Luckily for him, Sakura decided she had more to say, too.
"You know… when you left two years ago, I despised you. I hated the very air that you breathed. It was all your fault. Now, I add myself to that list as well. It was me that asked him to go after you. It was me that made him promise to give it his all. I asked so much from a person that I had never given the time of day to, yet he agreed. Now, he means the world to me, my number one, but it's too late. I guess that's karma," she said with her back still turned.
"Karma isn't human, and doesn't care how much I repent, or how the innocent will suffer from his death," she added, and cold eyes snapped up to regard her.
"Innocent? You have some nerve calling yourself innocent after everything you just spouted. The only innocent one here is Naruto," Sasuke yelled, and Sakura gave him the same wry smile that was given by Naruto earlier.
"I wasn't talking about myself," she said as she pointed to her stomach. Sasuke lowered his gaze, and deflated. Sakura's stomach wasn't very large, but it was clearly not normal.
"How long has he been like that," Sasuke asked after a moment's contemplation.
"It's been ongoing for seven months. He's been locked away for almost three," Sakura informed, as Sasuke continued to stare at her stomach.
"How far along…" he began, and Sakura answered his question, before he even finished it.
"Three and a half," she said with a smile that was completely devoid of humor. Sasuke looked at her with pained eyes, and she just shook her head.
"Don't," Sakura muttered with some strain. The hall became quiet, yet you could practically hear their silent thoughts.
After some time, it was Sasuke that broke the silence.
"Does he know?" he asked, and Sakura just moved her head in the negative. Sasuke looked as though he was about to argue, so she cut him off, before he even started.
"What would telling him accomplish? It would only hurt him, and give that damned fox something else to laugh about," she stated with a slight growl, before trying to swiftly walk away. Sasuke's hand on her arm stilled her movement.
"Why was I forced to come here? At first I thought it was to be executed, yet I walk around as a free man. Why am I here?" Sasuke yelled, and Sakura struggled with him.
"You're not allowed to be killed. Naruto signed an order that stated that the murder of your family is your retribution. Besides, it's not your execution that you're here for," she yelled, and Sasuke stilled.
"Whose execution?" he asked in a low voice. Sakura ignored him.
"Whose execution?" he yelled while shaking her bit. Sakura finally managed to get her arm loose, before giving Sasuke a full glare.
"Don't act as though you don't know," she yelled, and then continued, before Sasuke could interject.
"We all knew that Naruto was constantly warring with the demon. But, we didn't know how bad it had gotten until he killed one of his genin three months ago. In front of the entire village, he reached down her throat, and snatched out her vertical column, before we could even blink. Then he laughed. It was the first time we heard that maniacal laughter, but none of us would ever forget it," she said with a shiver, before pressing on.
"After that, it took us twenty minutes to bring him back to reality. But, honestly, I wish he had died right then, because once he regained consciousness, the full weight of the situation crushed him. I had never seen him so heartbroken, even counting the times when you left. So, in that moment, he ordered to be locked away. We tried to talk him out of it, but it was useless. We then tried to find some way to separate the parasitic chakra, but nothing worked. All it did was piss off the fox, and make him devour faster. Within weeks, Naruto informed us that he couldn't hold the demon back any longer, and the Hyuugas confirmed it. He then told us to love and protect this village as much as he did by executing him. The only thing he requested is that you be the one to do it," she said with hopeful eyes. Sasuke met her with hardened ones.
"No," he said, and Sakura nodded sadly, after repeating him.
"I guess fulfilling any wish of Naruto's is just too much for you. Though, I don't know why I'm surprised. I just assumed that a person as useless at saving people as you are just had to be good at killing. I guess I was wrong," she said softly, before walking away. All that could be heard was the clicking of her shoes ceramic floor.
"The execution is tomorrow morning at dawn. We'll all be gathered at the village's center. Be there," she called over her shoulder as she rounded the corner. Sasuke stood in the same spot for a long while, as it was finally his turn to war with himself.
Hours later, Sasuke wandered aimlessly around the village, cursing the lightening sky. Over the last several hours, he had let himself relive the last three years to see what went wrong. He relived the day Akatsuki and Danzou were defeated. He relived the day Naruto became hokage, and how only moments later he was pardoned. He remembered the changing laws, and the higher standards of living and consideration given to ninja and their services. He also remembered being given the position of head of clan affairs.
Unfortunately, he also remembered the thing that changed it all. Naruto being Naruto had decided that the elders were deceived by Danzou, and should be pardoned as well. They were stripped of their duties, so they could no longer affect another clan. However, they were alive and well.
At first, Sasuke had been content with them being removed from a position of power. But, as weeks turned to months, the fact that they were breathing had gnawed at his subconscious. The deaths of his family members had begun invading his dreams. He had tried to squelch his desire for revenge, but it was futile. Telling him not to repeat his past transgressions were like telling a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder to refrain from their daily cycle.
So, after several months, he decided he wanted revenge one more time. He wanted to take Naruto's dream, the way his was stripped from him. If he couldn't properly avenge his family, then all that he had been through was for nothing.
So, with a little planning, and smart maneuvering, he was able to make serious trouble. Once he had defected, all of the pawns were in place, and it was checkmate. War swept the nation, and the bloodshed didn't stop until word of the sixth hokage's retirement had been received. Sasuke thought that it would have made him feel again, yet it left him emptier than before. All Naruto's defeat did was solidify his beliefs that dreams didn't come true. Now that he knew the reality behind that defeat, he was beginning to wonder if dreams had ever existed.
"I'm glad you came," Sakura said with sincerity, and snapped Sasuke from his inner movie. He looked around, and noticed that practically everyone from the village was gathered around himself and a heavily collared Naruto. How he wound up there, he didn't know. But, there was very little time to think.
"Do it now, Sasuke," Naruto said as his eyes rapidly flickered from red to blue. Sasuke took a step back, and the hesitation was clearly displayed on his face.
"Naruto, I…" He began, but Naruto started speaking at the same time.
"Please," he half-whimpered, half-growled. Their eyes met for a second, before Sasuke nodded, and then formed a chidori. This time when he rammed his hand through flesh, no arm deflected his movement. His hand went straight through Naruto's heart, and out the other side. The collar prevented the fox's rapid healing ability, so all that remained was a slumped body being held up by the arm of an old best friend.
After disentangling himself from Naruto, Sasuke gaped at his blood-covered appendage, and watched as the liquid ran off in rivulets. A pained groan caught his attention, and he could see Sakura holding her stomach.
"Shizune," she called out in obvious pain. Within seconds, the other medic was present, and hurriedly escorting her to the hospital. The crowd looked on for a moment longer, and then quietly dispersed. All that remained were the ninja of the village, staring at one of their comrades that had sacrificed everything for his ninja way.
Sasuke was present, but he had retreated into his mind. He went back to a time where he was happy. Surprisingly, it wasn't the days of his early childhood. In his mind, he was twelve years old, sitting on a cliff and having a picnic with his team. Kakashi was reading his book, Naruto was arguing with him, and Sakura was flirting. He had no idea that he had been locked in an insane asylum. Luckily for him, he never would.
Sakura, meanwhile, was rubbing her stomach, and praying that she could bring a healthy Uzumaki into the world. After spending six weeks in the high-risk unit, she was finally allowed to come home. Her parents made sure they kept her free from stress, and doted on her at every turn. But, Sakura couldn't help, but to pull out the old team picture from time to time. It always caused her stress. But, she just couldn't forget the days of being a ninja and a member of team seven.
Unlucky number seven.
~Fin~