It's officially SasuSaku Month 2016!
This is for SSM Day 1
Prompt: Necromancy
Genre: Horror/Angst
I am pleasantly surprised that I actually made myself write something haha
BUT I don't think I could have done it without the support of my friends/beta readers!
So I tried to do some research on necromancy, and it started getting dark and creepy, so I kind of improvised a teeny tiny bit, please forgive me!
I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this story yet, but I honestly don't think it's bad at all! If you would, please let me know if you liked it by leaving a review! I would appreciate it! :)
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO
Enjoy!
Prince Sasuke was not an emotional person. Anyone could confirm this fact. However, as he listened to the sound of his boots clack with his pacing, the feeling of dread increased with every step. No, Sasuke Uchiha was not an emotional person, but how could he keep his emotions in check at a time like this?
"I want to see her," the young prince demanded, his voice booming in the unusually quiet room.
"Sasuke," said the soothing voice of the prince's mother, "you cannot. It's not safe for you." The fair queen had a much greater handle on her anxiety, but she understood her son's anger and dread.
Sasuke turned to his mother sharply. "My safety is the last thing that worries me," he replied angrily. "Physicians spend time with infected patients hours a day everyday with no sign of illness. If he can be with her, why can I not be?"
Queen Mikoto sighed deeply, "Dear, physicians know how to prevent themselves from getting sick. Even then, it is not a guarantee. It is safer for you not to be near her."
"I don't care," he stated through gritted teeth. "I don't care," he repeated. "She needs me. I will be with her, and you cannot stop me."
With that, he turned and stomped to the door leading to the bedroom with his beloved. The queen sighed in resignation. She knew there was no stopping her son when it came it to her. If it weren't for the unfortunate circumstance, Queen Mikoto would have smiled at her son's sweet behavior. If only.
Sasuke entered the room with a sharp inhale. There she was, lying on the bed. Lying in pain, no doubt. He clenched his fist. If only he could help her somehow. If it were up to him, he would take all her pain upon himself.
"My love," rasped the maiden.
Sasuke quickly made his way to her side. "Sakura," he muttered, trying to keep the pain out of his voice. He reached down to stroke her cheek. The prince's beloved Princess Sakura offered a weak smile.
"Your Highness," called the physician, sitting on the other side of the princess. He gained the attention of both the prince and princess. "It is not wise of you to be in here. You could get-"
"Don't care," Sasuke said offhandedly, turning his attention back to the girl beside him. He reached for her hand, but she pulled it away and hid it under the sheets. Sasuke frowned.
"Sasuke," Sakura coughed hoarsely, "my love, please don't. I am...tainted." The princess's brow furrowed.
Sasuke growled lowly under his breath. He kneeled down to bring himself closer to her, and he pulled her hand out and held it gently. He observed the black skin of her fingers, and his eyes softened. He brought her hand to her lips.
Sakura's eyes widened and cried, "Don't!"
She tried to pull her hand away, but Sasuke held it tighter. His dark onyx eyes bore deeply into her bright emerald orbs, and she froze. He repeated the phrase he told both his mother and the physician that day, "I. Don't. Care."
He watched as his love's eyes glaze over with tears.
When her tears spilled over, she whispered, "I love you." She breathed in deeply, "I love you so much."
Sasuke did not reply, but he continued to kiss her finger tips. He looked into her watery eyes and felt his own soften.
~ That Night ~
A loud crash sounded throughout the room. Queen Mikoto bit her lip, holding back her tears the best she could. Her poor baby boy, despite being 17, was absolutely destroyed. His incoherent roars could shake the earth. The agony in his voice could break the hearts of anyone who was around to hear it. The love of his life, her future daughter, was gone. She was only 16.
"Sasuke," she sobbed quietly. "I..." she was cut off by another crash.
"Sasuke," called the firm voice of her eldest, Itachi. He walked into the room with their friend Naruto, son of the Duke. "Stop throwing things before you hurt someone or yourself."
Sasuke was having none of it. He just lost his love. His best friend. His everything. All to that damn plague. He had every right to be angry. Panting, Sasuke was about to yell that at his brother when his other annoying, self-proclaimed best friend cut him off, absolute fury in his bright blue eyes.
"Sasuke!" he shouted. "Itachi's right! You need to calm down! I know you're upset. I know you're hurting, but if you keep acting like this, you will hurt someone. And don't act like we don't know what you're going through! We all loved Sakura too! She was my best friend too! So don't tell me I don't understand."
"But you don't understand," the voice in Sasuke's head hissed. "None of you loved her like I did. None of you could possibly understand."
Instead of responding, Sasuke stormed out, leaving his family and best friend behind him. Itachi sighed and stopped Naruto from going after him, knowing his little brother needed his space. The queen finally broke and released all her sobs.
~ Ten Years Ago ~
"Sasuke?" asked a small, sweet voice.
The prince looked down at his young princess. Her wide green eyes shined up at him. With just one look, this little princess could have the young Uchiha prince wrapped around her tiny finger.
"Yes?" Sasuke replied, trying to appear unaffected by her bright gaze.
"Um," she started, the smallest tinge of pink dusted her cheeks, "when we get bigger...can we get married?"
Had the prince not been so attentive to his darling princess, he wouldn't have heard her quiet question.
Sasuke wasn't really sure if he would ever get married because girls are annoying, and they only like him because he was the prince. Looking down at his pink haired princess made him think that maybe not all girls were so bad. As long as they were Sakura Haruno.
"If you want to," he replied smoothly. Because what his princess wanted, his princess would receive.
~ Present ~
Sasuke sat up, cursing. Even in dreams, his late love would not leave his mind. Every night he dreamt of them together. He often dreamt of their memories and occasionally dreamt of the future they could have had together. He both loved and hated these dreams. He loved seeing her beautiful face again, but he hated the moment he woke and remembered that she was gone.
The prince's inner turmoil was interrupted by a knock on his door.
"Your Highness," called a servant, "I've brought the book you requested."
Sasuke quickly rose from the bed and made his way to the door. Silently, he opened the door and retrieved the book.
"Hn. Make sure no one knows of this," he told the servant curtly, dismissing him.
Once the servant was gone and his door was closed, Sasuke looked down at the book in his hands.
The Practice of Necromancy, the title read.
As he clutched the book in his hands, Sasuke swore he would do whatever it took to bring his love back, even if it meant giving himself up in darkness.
He remembered seeing the book once when he was traveling to a neighboring kingdom with his brother. That was when he first learned of necromancy.
~ Two Years Ago ~
Prince Itachi was riding his dark stallion, following the carriage carrying his father and mother, with his younger brother by his side. Despite their mother's protests, both princes wanted to ride their own horses instead of sitting in the carriage for the trip.
King Fugaku commanded they visit their neighboring kingdom to celebrate their union. For so long, the Uchiha Kingdom had been at war with the Hyuuga Kingdom, and it was about time they put it behind them.
"Brother?" came the voice of the young prince. Itachi looked back and saw his brother stopped outside a small store. It was a small, dark building that looked more sinister than inviting.
"What is it, Sasuke?" Itachi asked
"What's...necromancy?" the younger brother questioned.
Itachi's eyes widened, "Where did you hear that word?"
Sasuke pointed to a book inside the window of the store. Printed on the cover was The Practice of Necromancy. Itachi sucked in a deep breath.
"It's a type of dark magic," the older Uchiha explained. "It's dark magic dealing with communication and summoning of the dead. It's nothing you should concern yourself with."
However, Sasuke's interest was piqued. Why didn't everyone practice necromancy if it allowed you talk and summon someone you lost? Then he remembered his brother's words, "...dark magic."
"Sakura," Sasuke uttered quietly.
Itachi raised a brow at the mention of the princess's name.
"Sakura said she hates dark magic," Sasuke explained. "She said her aunt Tsunade had a friend who lost himself to dark magic."
"Dark magic is nothing to take lightly, Sasuke," Itachi told him sternly.
Sasuke looked up at his older brother and nodded, "Right."
~ Present ~
"To summon the deceased as an apparition, the summoner must supply a personal item of the deceased along with three drops of the summoner's blood."
Sasuke read the page closely, leaving himself no room for mistakes. He already had his location picked. He had nearly all his supplies gathered.
He promised himself at that store that he would never have anything to do with dark magic. He promised himself and Sakura. But the circumstances were different now.
Setting the book on his bed, he walked to the bed side stand. Resting innocently on the wooden table was the silver locket that belonged to his princess. The locket he had given her himself for her birthday some years ago. Inside was a picture of them when they were just young, innocent children. It was perfect.
For a few moments he stared at the picture of them. For just a few moments, he let his walls down. Inhaling sharply, he closed it and put it in his pocket.
Getting everything together, he left his home and headed deep into the dark forest. He made his way through the foliage with ease. Finally, he made it to a small clearing. Even with the bright moon, the forest was still fairly dark.
Sasuke swiftly set up for his summoning. He drew the markings in the soft dirt with a fallen tree branch. He drew a large circle with the eight-point star inscribed. He placed the incense in the proper locations and lit them, holding back a grimace at the strong smell.
The prince made his way to the center of the circle and placed a chalice on the floor. Carefully, he placed the locket around the chalice. Pulling out a small dagger, he made a small cut in the palm of his hand and held it over the chalice, letting three drops fall in before immediately wrapping his hand with his handkerchief.
Sasuke straightened up and closed his eyes. He softly chanted the spell he memorized in the book. He let his mind and soul reach out, willing Sakura's spirit back to the earth. He could feel her reaching out to him as well.
After several minutes, he felt it. Opening his eyes, he watched as what looked like fog began swirling around in a small tornado. The fog began to take shape. The shape of his princess. His Sakura.
"Sakura," rasped Sasuke, his voice hoarse from his overwhelming emotions.
"S-Sasuke," she stuttered, confused. "How..."
"It doesn't matter," he told her, breathless. His dark eyes were filled with love. "You're here."
Sakura was not pleased and clearly confused, "I'm not supposed to be here."
Sasuke paid no heed to her words. "Yes you are. You are supposed to be here. With me."
"No.." she muttered, staring at the forest floor, her face contorting with shocked confusion. "How did...how did I even get here? Sasuke," she looked up at him, realization dawning on her face, "are you using...dark magic?"
He could hear the disapproval and the hint of fear in her voice. She was supposed to be happy that they were united.
"Are you not happy that we're together again?" he asked sharply. Sakura frowned, her sorrow now clear. Sasuke's eyes softened.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I just thought you would be happy."
His darling princess sighed deeply, "Sasuke, my love, I am always happy to see you." She stared deep into his dark eyes and continued, "But this is not right. You know this."
"What's not right about it?" he questioned, holding down his anger. "We can be together again. I can bring you back! We can get married like we planned. We can start a family like you always wanted. We can-"
"My love," the spirit interrupted. "I love you more than you could possibly know. I love you even in death. But that's just it. I have gone, Sasuke. Please, understand."
"No!" he roared in agony. "I don't understand! I would give up the world just have you in my arms again, can't you see? Please come back to me."
Sakura's ghostly eyes were full of sorrow. "Our time has run out. My time has run out. If you bring me back, you would lose yourself. Dark magic always comes with a price. I died, Sasuke. You cannot cheat death. Please. You have to move on."
No, Sasuke was not an emotional man. However, as he stands here, listening to his dead love tell him to move on, he couldn't hold it in any longer. His tears flowed freely down his face.
"Sakura," he sobbed. "I love you."
Sakura smiled as she felt her spirit dissipate in the wind. She knew her time was up. She couldn't let the man she loves lose himself to dark magic. She would never forgive herself. The gust blowing out the incense and whispering her final words of love.
"I love you, Sasuke."