Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters, I just write for your and mine fun and enjoyment :)

Author's note: Please do not hesitate to review: what you liked, what can be improved on. I'll take it all as long as it is justified and fair. And, of course, enjoy, without you I would have no reason to go public with my stories.

K xxx

It was raining all day today, a full-on downpour. And people were moving around as quickly as they could, hiding under bright umbrellas, wrestling with the wind to stay in control of their only protection from all the water. It was a normal day, I suppose, no one thought anything of it, no one noticed anything unusual, but little did they know.

In the sky above – angels were fighting.

It was sunny up here above the clouds and everything was bright and joyful, except one thing. It was really, really quiet. You could not see any laughing angels strolling around, or little birds flying and producing beautiful music for everyone to hear. The truth is, they were scared away.

There were two figures hanging in the mid-air, facing each other. They were, probably, the most beautiful creatures you've ever seen, and both emanated power and light.

The girl was stunning with a slender body, peach-colored skin and the most luscious pink locks in the world. She was wearing a white gown, the kind Greek goddesses were said to wear, the back part of the dress was missing, making space for huge white wings that sprang out of her body, holding her in the air. She was the most exquisite girl he'd ever seen.

'He's changed,' she thought. And that was true, the last time she's seen him he was happy, content and in love. Now he was dark, bitter … and in love. He didn't have his white clothes on anymore; instead, he wore only pants of the darkest color you could only imagine. His bare chest was covered in writings, Latin words she never dared to pronounce aloud, they were words of hate, of malice and of death. His wings, his big powerful wings weren't white anymore, they were the purest black and seemed to consume any light around him, instead of reflecting any, and they got bigger, much bigger. She supposed it happened when you were using them in fighting, relying on them to lift you up and out of harms way, while you were swinging your sword, heading in for the kill. You needed a lot of practice for that and she was sure that he, Sasuke, had had plenty of it. 'What have you done to yourself?' anguish welled up inside her she almost cried, almost. She could see his sword, it was made of dark silver, only silver could kill an angel, and she knew that he would resort to using it today. She knew that, because she was holding the exact same sword, only of white silver. Those were magnificent weapons, slim and sleek they ignited lightnings when they clashed, designed for a fight, designed to kill.

It was getting too late and too quiet for her liking and she knew she could not delay it any longer; she had to seal their fate.

"Gods are furious, Sasuke."

He laughed, a bitter laugh, akin to a smirk, but it still sent shivers down to the tips of last feathers in her wings.

"An why is that? I am a monster of their own making."

He was angry. How dare they! They were the ones who chased him away from heaven, like a dog. Away from his home, friends and, mostly important, his Sakura. The only thing that mattered to him in this world and they dare to take it from him! They thought he was trouble, that he was rebellious, they were afraid of being overthrown, but the truth is that he didn't even think about it, he was just bitter after he lost his family, and Sakura was the only one keeping him sane. Sasuke smirked again, they all thought that he was happy there, but the truth is – he was on the brink of loosing it, even Sakura could not see it. So when they banished him from heaven, he went berserk. He couldn't take it. Loosing Sakura so soon after loosing his family… he wanted revenge. And so he got it. He killed every single angel he came across, every single child of gods', and they wept, oh how did the gods cry when their children were dying. He swore he would make them cry, as he does every day of his life. Sasuke always kept his promises.

And now he stood in front of her, crying on the inside, furious on the outside. He promised himself already – he would not let her go back to them, at any cost, he would keep her away from heaven. 'Why did they send her? Is it a sick joke?' she was the most pure creature in heaven, the kindest and the most lovely angel, everyone loved her and now, oh cruel gods!, she has been sent to punish. Sasuke didn't underestimate her, she was scary in her wrath, but he was the most deadly creature in the heaven realm and she didn't stand a chance, he knew that and he wanted to avoid fighting, but his anger was pushing him on edge.

"Why did they send you?"

Sakura smiled one long sad smile.

"They didn't. I chose to do it myself."

"That is, indeed, stupid. Why would you choose to do this?"

Same smile.

"Let's say: I didn't want any of our friends to be made to do this."

Sasuke seemed to freeze for a minute. Her eyes gleamed with determination, she was going to try and stop him…no…hurt him – the one she was so desperately trying to save only some months ago. He believed her and she betrayed him! He was enraged; anger was rising within him and seemed to take over his body and consciousness. Somewhere, in the corner of his mind, he was realizing that it was wrong to be angry at Sakura and that he didn't even want to be angry at her, he wanted to hug and kiss, and cherish her for ever. But it was too late, his body didn't listen to him anymore, his hands gripped his sword and it didn't feel like he was doing it at all, someone's thoughts entered his mind and all he could do was to helplessly listen to them. 'So be it.' And he charged. Sakura's eyes widened, she didn't expect him to act like this, she wanted to talk to him and maybe…'Maybe what? Run away with him?' She merely managed to block his attack with her own sword and push him back. 'No' she thought, 'we are all pawns of Gods, they want us to fight and we will fight, there's no choice. There never have been.' Sasuke was coming at her now from every imaginable angle almost at once, his sword was like a lighting – quick and untraceable almost until the moment when it would actually strike. Sakura was getting tired very quick, while Sasuke was working himself into blind rage, or so she thought. Sasuke himself was terrified, 'No! Stop! STOP THIS!' but he couldn't, his own body didn't listen to him, with every new cut on Sakura's skin, new waves of anger were bursting within him, taking his own will even more deeper into his subconscious. 'THEY are doing this!' he realized, the gods have chosen the opportunity to strike back, his rage allowed them to slave his mind and actions and now he was at their mercy. 'No, no, please no! I'll do whatever you want! I BEG YOU!' Sasuke hasn't prayed in over seven months now, but with every new swing he took, his pleas became louder and louder in his mind, until they couldn't get any clearer. He was prepared to beg for her, crawl on his own knees and hands and kiss their feet, just so they let her live. Alas. Too late. The gods remained unresponsive, only feeding his body more instructions. 'Come from left and swing to the right. Block. Deflect. Attack. A swing from underneath and blind her from above, kick. Slice on the left side – immobilize the leg. Cut on the right – don't let her use both hands. Swing. Slice. Block. Duck. Deflect. Attack. Harder. Quicker. Push her back. Pierce…'

Everything stopped. He's done it. 'A perfect warrior. You held your word.' mocked the voice inside his head and with that his body was released, allowing him to blindly lunge for her. He somehow managed to wrap his arms around her waist, she was crying.

"Sakura…I'm so sorry! Oh, I'm so sorry! I…"

"Shhh…"

She smiled at him. His beautiful, perfect little angel smiled at him – oh he's the luckiest man in the whole world! 'What have I done? What have I allowed them to do?'

"It's okay. It was inevitable. I knew they didn't want me anymore, at least they were kind enough to let me see you one last time."

He was in stupor. Why? Why would someone want to harm this lovely creature? WHY DID THEY DARE TO HURT HIS ANGEL?

"WHY? Tell me Sakura why? I'll kill them! I'll kill them a…"

He froze mid-word. Blood was trickling down Sakura's chin. He choked. And he cried. He pulled the sword out of her abdomen and hugged her even closer to himself. He caressed her hair and kissed her brow and lips, apologizing over and over again.

It's been some time now and they spent it close to each other, they talked and laughed, but Sakura could never really stop crying and was hysterical by now. She was getting weaker, it got to the point where she was breathing short and shallow, covered in cold sweat. Sasuke was devastated and could not stop blaming himself for being so weak and not being able to break from gods' influence in time.

"Why..." he couldn't talk without choking on his words "why did you agree to come down, lovely love?"

She loved it when he called her that. She knew Sasuke wasn't sentimental and that little name for her was the most valuable thing in the world. She didn't want to go now, she just got him back, but those minutes were sacred for both of them and she knew that instant, that she did the right thing.

"Sasuke, I don't want you to blame yourself for this."

This got his attention and he lifted his dark obsidian eyes to her jade ones.

"The reason why I wanted to come and didn't really have any choice is that – I'm pregnant…was…"

Shock. When you first enter the state of shock – you go numb, then everything explodes and then – you shut down.

The thing is, angels don't get pregnant, usually that is. Only purest love and devotion can conceive a child. There were only three angel children in the history. And now there was the fourth…was…his baby. A baby of a Fallen Angel. That, gods could not allow.

"Did not want to allow" realized Sasuke as an afterthought. He's just killed two reasons for his existence. He was unworthy, so he let go…

Numb fingers could not hold the cold body anymore and while he watched a white figure getting further and further down into the clouds, he wept, like The Gods wept and the Heavens cried as the skies shed a quiet lament for Sakura – the first snow.

Sasuke looked up at the sky. It was starting to rain. 'Just like that time…' He has already made up his mind, he was going to leave Konoha and his friends behind and continue on his own. It was not a sudden decision, he had been thinking about it for a long time, but the episode in the Forest of Death during the Chunin Exam was the last drop. When he woke up to the screams of Sakura, being tortured by those bastards, he had a very distinctive and real vision or was it a flashback? He saw Sakura's face tear-stained and contorted in pain and that made him remember that only other time when he's seen her like this. All because of him.

Re-incarnated angels were not supposed to remember their lives in the heaven realm, but Sasuke supposed that dying as an angel of strong grief makes you subconsciously keep all your memories when you become human. Sakura didn't remember anything of that he was certain, though he now knew that her feelings for him were not fake; they were still there from her life as an angel.

Sasuke smirked. 'So Gods did loose after all'. Him and Sakura have met even in human realm, nothing could keep them apart, he knew that now, unless…unless one of them chose to walk away. And that's what he's done; he chose to leave her, so that she stops getting hurt because of him. One of them will inevitably sacrifice their life to protect the other, if they stay together, Sasuke could not allow that. Not again.

So there he was, standing behind Sakura, ready to catch her unconscious body, but not before he tells her that he remembers, that he still cares, that he still is sorry. But would she understand, would she remember? And if she does, will she respect his choice and stay away? 'No, she won't, and you know it! You need to protect her , not satisfy your sentimental whim' And so he grunts and turns to one safe option he has left.

"Sakura, thank you…" 'For loving me still'

The skies cried.