FALLEN IN THE SNOW
FULL SUMMARY: The end of Team 7 was so close now, Sakura mused wretchedly. Her bloodied body was staining the snow, the life literally draining out of her. She could see the crimson liquid forming a massive puddle between the four bodies of the broken squad. Her eyes moistened, not yet ready to believe she would die with the dead silence. ..Not ready to believe the others were choosing to ignore one another because of how long it had been since they could call each other..."comrades".
A/N: Another update! What a surprise!
Anyways, please give this one a chance. I trust that some readers may not like the ending, but please bear with me. It's just something that I've been meaning to update for a while now. This is a one-shot, thankfully. I could not imagine continuing from here.
Please…enjoy.
FALLEN IN THE SNOW
Naruto could faintly feel the moisture of the picturesque snow seep into his clothing. The world was fading before his eyes, the ever bright snow even changing into a grayish shade. He supposed this might have been a beautiful sight at one time, but at the moment, it was probably the last thing he wanted to envision.
His body, cast across the ground like a forgotten rag doll, bled and lay broken. He could barely comprehend the way he had come about this result. Maybe it had been his fault, maybe it hadn't. Naruto just couldn't...remember. But then again, maybe he just wanted this to be over with as soon as possible. The end was near, he sensed through his failing eyesight, the darkness constricting around him like a predatory snake with a mouse.
The only two things that proved he was still alive was the burning sensation in his chest and the snowflakes lightly falling onto his exposed skin. He blinked several times to dispose of the small white flakes catching on his eyelashes, but even that, was in vain.
This, in the least, had been his first poor choice of the early afternoon. That choice being to travel across the snow blanketed plains of eastern Konoha, just along the border, outside of it - of course. It hadn't been his idea to cross paths with the others who now lay in the snowy pit dying with him. Well, it wasn't with him, because Team 7 no longer existed. He should have used the term beside him because if the others had the choice, they would leave without remorse. It didn't matter if they were crawling out of this pit with their life blood seeping out of them; each of them would if it was possible.
But that was the thing. None of them could. Not even he could, but he had the feeling that despite the lonely years and betrayals, even Naruto would stay in this pit of death if it were to bring him closer to them. To what used to be.
It hadn't been even five years since the last reunion between the team members. That much he remembered. It had been tense and emotional. Sakura had cried and screamed at each of them. Kakashi had tried to reason with Naruto and Sasuke who had a strong aura of excitement and battle around them, but merely sighed when no one listened. Sasuke had drawn his katana and met Naruto's kunai with a loud, deafening clash.
Then, that's where the memory had always gotten blurry. He couldn't remember what had come after. No one had ever told him what ended the relationship between them all. Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi...had left by the time he had woken up. With Jiraiya by his side, who wore a saddened look in his eyes, he had asked what had happened, but for some strange reason, the Sanin never did tell. Perhaps, he hadn't known or maybe he knew it wasn't worth the strife at the moment. It probably wasn't the correct time. Naruto didn't even think this was the correct time for that ending.
"What do you want me to say, guys?" Naruto whispered in his hoarse voice, his eyes not able to break his gaze from the pure snow. "That I traveled the world to find you here and die with you?" He made a rough gurgling sound, his throat constricting for a moment. Within seconds, blood bubbled to his lips, spilling over his mouth and leaking onto the ground nearby his head. Naruto's eyes finally lowered to the blood, noticing how the red didn't seep into the snow, but instead altered it into an utter mess.
No one - though he wasn't surprised in the least - answered his call.
The question of whether to continue speaking came to mind. Should he? Or should he give up as they had?
His bloodied lips, though trembling, formed a frown at the thought.
A pang of misery shot through him. It was very strong, strong enough to steal his breath away. What could he say? All these years and this is how it ends?
Naruto winced once another painful shudder passed through his body.
He couldn't die this way. He had to hear their voices one more time. He had to know he wouldn't die alone, not when their lives had been bound together once before.
Naruto wasn't aware of the wet tears falling down his cheeks. He wasn't aware of his muscles struggling, struggling to move forward. He even wasn't aware that the others were watching him.
The only thing that ruled over his more sensible thoughts and weakening body was that Team 7 could not die like this. It didn't matter if it were from old age or a tragic death in this snowy pit, he wanted to know that they had the same feelings too...somewhere deep inside of them.
Dragging himself forward with one burned hand and legs pushing against the ground, Naruto crawled towards the others. The others who had rejected not only him, but the team itself. But even though his doubtful thoughts wanted to conquer his will, Naruto kept propelling himself forward.
And he would keep striving forward to meet them, to meet Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, and...and even Sasuke. It didn't matter if his legs finally went numb from the cold because he would drag himself with his hands. It didn't matter if his hands and arms were to finally exhaust themselves for he would speak sense and love to them. And if his voice gave out, he would look them all in the eyes and show them just how much he cared for each of them regardless of the past. And even if he were to finally lose consciousness or enough blood to kill him, they would die knowing he was there for them. That they were not alone, that they were his family, that they were...
Team 7.
The first thing that met awakening emerald eyes was a vivid picture of a snowy landscape filled with bright colors and falling snowflakes. It was breathtaking, beautiful, memorable...And then a mere glance towards the ground shattered the beauty. A dark crimson color attracted the unwilling eyes to its menacing presence. It bled into the snow, staining it in a tainted way that was far too familiar.
When the owner of the beautiful eyes shifted to adjust themselves, her body spasmed violently. Haruno Sakura cried out in pain. Every time she tried to turn her upper body, an intense burning pain settled in her lower abdomen. She forced herself to look down, ignoring the protest in her neck muscles.
A giant, gaping hole in her lower abdomen area met her gaze. Sakura felt her stomach lurch as she witnessed the sight of blood and torn flesh. Even if she was an experienced medical ninja and had had to work on worse things than this...She felt an overwhelming sense of nausea consume her.
"Oh god..." She whispered, trying to summon chakra into her hands. Her effort was in vain. It had been exhausted in the battle.
Sakura laid her head back down, staring up at the sky once more. Her body convulsed several times from the chilling cold. Why had it come to this? Why was she dying in this snowy pit?
She tried to remember what had brought her to this place, but couldn't recall the reason. Hadn't had been a feeling of urgency and of being needed? Sakura felt a wry smile take form. Ah yes, that was correct. She had felt as if she had had a purpose here.
Turning her neck to the side, Sakura's eyes fell onto Sasuke's fallen body a few yards away. He laid quietly, limbs sprawled out as if he had crashed into the ground. If she remembered correctly, that was what had happened.
Now, the Uchiha man was slowly being graced by the presence of snow. His raven hair was slowly blurring into a mixture of white and dark blue. His face, turned towards her, was spotted with drops of blood and covered messily by his hair. For the moment, his eyes, which she knew were no longer in the form of Sharingan due to lack of chakra, were closed.
Sakura wanted to scoff at herself. How she was still attracted to the man after all these years was unknown to her. How was she attracted to the enemy? It had been a question that hadn't been answered in five or so years.
He was probably the reason she was dying now.
She smiled a little. No, no, that wasn't the reason. Despite the love she felt for Sasuke, it wouldn't have been enough to die with him. Now, for Team 7, on the other hand, she would have died just to reunite with them. Ironically, it seemed as though this was certain to happen now.
A sudden explosion of pain resonated from her back. She coughed out blood violently, struggling to breathe properly. Oh, yes, how could she forget? Sakura forced herself to turn onto her stomach, ignoring the loose organs that she felt shift. Carefully, tentatively, Sakura reached behind her back with her hand and felt along her mid back.
Sure enough, she felt another potentially fatal wound.
Sakura let her arm fall back onto the ground. "That would have been...Naruto." She whispered quietly to herself. With a heavy, painful sigh, Sakura let her face settle into the snow. It was cold and wet against her face, burning and stinging her skin.
"Die, Naruto!"
The sound of thousands of birds chirping filled the air. A streak of blue raced across the snowy battlefield. Large rifts of snow followed quickly behind it.
On the other side of the battle field, a streak of yellow moved towards the other streak of color to meet it. To collide. Waves of chakra resonated beside it in a large, constantly moving sphere.
"Sasuke!"
In the last instant, Sakura found herself between the two. She openly faced the streak of blue, focusing in on the man who created it. Before Uchiha Sasuke could changed his path, his Chidori buried itself into Sakura's abdomen. The split second before Naruto collided into Sakura, she noticed his bewildered look.
Sakura, in turn, smiled, despite the intense electrical shock that coursed through her body. This must have been what it felt to be shocked by lightning.
Raising a finger to Sasuke's forehead, Sakura bestowed a powerful flick. Sasuke's hand ripped out of her body, following the rest of him. Before Naruto reached her, Sasuke was flying towards the ground, out of harm's way.
As Naruto's Rasengan struck her backside, Sakura felt her purpose fulfilled. The purpose that had brought her here. She sensed the shock in Naruto although she couldn't see his face.
In the end, Haruno Sakura had played the part that Kakashi had fulfilled once in their childhood days. However, instead of throwing them away from each other, she had sacrificed her body. There would have been no point in throwing them in different directions. Naruto and Sasuke would have merely gotten up and started this process over. She had known a sacrifice would be needed.
This sacrifice would get their attention, if nothing else. Especially, Sasuke. She had completed a numbing jutsu before sending Sasuke away. He wouldn't be able to move for a while. She was certain he would live and would be able to think about what he had been about to do.
As her body twisted and spun across the battlefield, Sakura couldn't help thinking that this was supposed to be her fate. She was supposed to be the bridge that connected Naruto and Sasuke in the end.
Kakashi sat quietly on the edge of the pit. His hand, covered in his blood, attempted to stop the bleeding from his chest. He already knew it would be in vain, but he wanted to stay alive long enough to see what Naruto would do.
His vision blurred as his eyes moved to watch Naruto's crawling form. That boy had always been stubborn. The blond boy grunted with each pull towards his teammates, but nevertheless, kept moving.
He looked up at the blade piercing his chest. He hadn't bother to remove it. There was no point. Kakashi sighed, ignoring the stinging pain in his lungs as he did so. This was the end of not only him, but Team 7.
"Sa-Sakura..." Naruto whispered quietly, his voice hoarse. He finally reached her, slinging his damaged arm over her. "C'mon, girl, look at me."
The pink-haired girl didn't move her head. Kakashi felt nausea overwhelm him as he watched her silence. He struggled to remove his mask so he could breathe. Watching his teammates die had always been something he couldn't handle well. First Obito...
"Sakura...Pl-Please!" Naruto bit his lower lip, trying to keep himself from crying. Tears were already forming at the corner of his eyes. He placed his head against the back of her chest, trying to listen for her heart beat. Kakashi noticed that he took a moment to stare at the gaping hole in her back.
At that moment, Kakashi noticed Sasuke's head shift slightly. He raised his head, moving slowly. The Uchiha blinked a few times, staring at Naruto and Sakura. And then, Kakashi believed, the true weight of what had happened hit Sasuke.
He didn't cry. He didn't scream or moan. He just struggled over to the shinobi crying over his fallen teammate. As Sasuke reached them, he hesitated, as if wondering if he should be doing this. Should the lone avenger actually show grief? Kakashi honestly wondered if he would.
Naruto let out an agonizing cry of torment. "No! NO, NO, NO!" He turned to Sasuke helplessly. We did this, his eyes read.
Kakashi returned his eyes to the falling snow. It was still beautiful despite the scene it fell on. He silently wondered if Sakura had truly passed on yet. He wished she hadn't yet. There were many things he wanted to say. That he was impressed by her hard work to become a great medical ninja and kunoichi. That he was delighted to have had her as his student. That he was very regretful for ignoring her training while he tended to Sasuke and Naruto.
"I'm glad...to see us finally back...together."
It was a muffled whisper.
Sasuke, although his limbs were shaking, gently moved Sakura so she was sitting up. Her face was very pale, almost as pale as the snow. Her pink hair was wet and matted against the side of her face. The famous emerald eyes she possessed were losing the life in them.
He didn't think he would ever feel some kind of emotion other than hatred or anger. However, he did now, but it wasn't love. Sasuke knew he didn't could never love someone. It was too great of an emotion for him to contain. He did, though, feel gratefulness.
Naruto struggled to his knees, placing his hands on Sakura's face. Her cheeks were losing warmth with each passing moment. He sniffled, his nose running as he cried more.
Sakura watched him through tunnel vision. Black was surrounding her peripheral vision and consuming it. Even his bright blond hair couldn't fight the darkness.
"Hey." She whispered, smiling a bit. "Don't be such a crybaby."
Sasuke's head snapped towards her, eyes widening a bit. How could she sit her, dying, and say that so casually? What had given her such strength?
He felt his grip on her tighten, bringing her closer. Sasuke couldn't resist the powerful urge to bury his head in her hair. It smelled metallic, like blood.
"Sakura, you have...you have to have enough chakra to heal yourself. Please. Please." Sakura lifted a finger to Naruto's lips before he could speak any more. She looked so frail as she convulsed once.
"Naruto, I want you to...become Hokage." She laughed a bit, a few times actually, ignoring the blood that spilled over her lips. "Make me...a fool's promise! Another one!" Sakura turned her head to face Sasuke. "I think I already took care of the other one."
Sasuke searched her eyes frantically with his own. Hers were greatly unfocused and yet still pierced him. This girl that he had known all of his life...had brought his teammates back into his life. Why had he ignored her? Why had he mistreated her? She had paid him the greatest favor.
"Sasuke." Her voice was quiet. Her smile was gone. "Team 7 needs you. Itachi...doesn't." She drew close to him, finally focusing on him. "Be with your comrades."
His heart clenched as her eyes closed. Within a few seconds, Naruto started screaming for Sakura to refrain from leaving. He screamed that he would become the greatest Hokage that the world had ever seen. He screamed that team 7 wouldn't be complete without her.
Sasuke silently mourned himself. At some point, Kakashi managed to join them. He stood quietly, eyes taking in the scene.
"She fulfilled her role of this team." He murmured, finally removing the sword from his chest with a grunt. Kakashi dropped it onto the ground, staining it crimson. "She kept her teammates from killing each other."
Sasuke and Naruto said nothing in response. Naruto, with tears in his eyes, grabbed Sasuke by the shoulder tightly with his burned hand. Sasuke let him as his teammate struggled to maintain control.
"A true comrade." He whispered.
As darkness blanketed over them, the reformed Team 7 grieved together. For the first time in five years. Over one of their own. Haruno Sakura -
The comrade fallen in the snow.
A/N: This one-shot has been in the making for the longest time. I'm finally glad to have finished it. I swear, it's been months since I had started this, but luckily, I found the motivation to finish it. I love the beginning the most, although I'm not sure why. Perhaps, because that's when I felt the most creative.
Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed it! Thank you for reading!
Until next update,
SharinganAnbuSakura