Ohayo minna-san! :D

This is my first attempted one-shot!

In dedication for the 114th anniversary of our independence day

Hope you enjoy! And :'( I sadly don't own Naruto…


Freedom…

Yes…

At last…

He was finally free…

Free from pain…

Free from anger…

Free from hatred…

He was trapped for so many years, and he almost thought that he would never return from darkness. They were convinced that they wouldn't see him return to the village. He was determined to never return. They knew he was inside the darkness in his heart, in the deepest depths he was stuck there. He loved it there; he wanted to stay there in the shadows, spreading chaos towards all the five nations. They kept on trying to open up his heart, many attempts were tried… all failed. He closed up all of the doors, he builds walls up for them not to get through, he shut them out of his world, and he closed his heart to anything but revenge and pain…

Pain…

Yes…

He felt it so much…

It made him angry…

It made him hate everything…

It made him jealous…

Ever since the day that changed his life forever, he was angry at the world. Angry as to why he had to witness it all… angry as to why he was left alone. He hated the fact that there were people who actually cared… he hated them for making it harder for him to forget his pain and longing to touching them once again. He was jealous, that even if they knew that they had problems they could still laugh… live freely, become strong. Whereas he, he was stuck at the past… he cannot move on… he cannot open up to happiness… to love…

Anger…

Was it enough?

He kept on thinking of it…

It made him hate his brother…

It made him jealous of Naruto…

It made him long for the happiness he wanted to feel…once again…

So angry at the world… he left. So angry at his brother… he murdered him. So angry at Naruto… he severed his ties with him. He was jealous as to why Naruto was able to fight and even manage to protect others. He had gotten stronger, even stronger than him. He even got the only girl that he actually liked… the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with… Naruto had gained Hinata's heart… and he knew he needed to be independent…

Jealousy…

It is a sin…

He knows that…

It made him want to be happy too…

It made him need love…

So he wanted independence…. That's why he left…

He was saddened by the thought that he could never have the one thing he most wanted… the one person he most needed. He wanted to be happy… he wanted to laugh again… he wanted to smile. He needed her… he needed her smile… he needed her support… he needed her love. He was becoming more dependent on them… he didn't like that one bit… so he decided to leave. Refusing to lean on them… refusing to accept them… but most of all, refusing in seeing him slowly lose the girl he will always love…

Happiness…

It was fickle thing…

He needed love to really feel it…

But he left…

And so he was independent…

But will he really return?

He didn't look back anymore. He didn't try to remember his last memory of Konoha. He didn't recognize it as his home. He doesn't want to be reminded of that happiness… he doesn't want to be reminded of love. He needed to cut his ties with it. Yet why are they still pursuing him? Why are they still risking their lives for him? Why can't they just get the message? Why can't they leave him alone? Is he really that important to them? What is Sasuke for them? Is he a comrade, friend or family for them? Or are they only getting him so they could kill him?

Love

Was mysterious…

It made you feel contented, happy…

But it can also be another way around…

It makes you feel betrayed, angry…

And it was painful…

He was pained by the thought that he wasn't there to save her from Pein. He was pained by the thought that she confessed to Naruto. Oh how he wished that it was him that she would confess to… but how could she… when she never once looked in his way, when she never paid any attention to him. He felt betrayed by Naruto… he felt betrayed by his brother… but he mostly felt betrayed by himself. He knew he couldn't really change himself, and it was his own fault. Not hers, not Naruto's, most definitely not his brother…

Revenge…

It is a killer…

It is the combination of hate and pain…

He needed to finish what he started…

He needed to find peace…

Then he could die…

He was blinded by power. He knew that, but refused to look away from it. He was destroyed from all of his ambitions, from all of his actions. He went back to finish what he started. He went back to find some closure, he didn't expect to see her… he never expected to see Hinata look his way finally. He tried to shake his thoughts of hope. Hope of finally having his chance with her. He refused to believe that she would actually care for her…

Hope…

It was always there…

She did care…

She regretted it…

She trying to make sure he doesn't leave…

She is making sure he won't be alone again…

He couldn't believe it, she cared for him. After he went back to the village, she smiled at him… she had cared for him… he was blind to not see that. Here he was boasting that he wasn't like Naruto who didn't notice how she felt for him. She paid him attention, he was thankful for that. And now, after those many times he actually tried to make up for his loss to the village, she started liking him… finally her blushes were for him… and now finally he gained her love, he was thankful for it…

He gives his thanks to his brother, Itachi…

Who taught him just how destructive lies and hate can be…

He gives his thanks to the dobe, Naruto…

Who never gave up on him, who brought him back home…

But most of all…

He turned to his side and looked at the figure that was right beside him. She looked so beautiful… then again, she always was. He was contented on having her here lay in his arms in this wonderful night. Finally this time, he was ready to step out of his hole where he was kept on the bottom. Finally this time he was ready to face towards the light and come out of the shadows. Finally this time, he would open up his heart, and break down his walls, all because of her. He leaned down and kissed her forehead…

"Thank you… Hinata." He whispered to her, she stirred and looked at him with soft eyes…

"Why is that, Sasuke-kun?" she asked confused on why he suddenly thanked her out of nowhere…

"For loving me." And he stared down at her. Tears starting to form on her lovely pearl-like eyes, she smiled and kissed him on the lips…

Yes…

At last he was free…

Free from hatred that had filled his mind…

Free from pain that had filled his past…

Free from revenge that overtook his mind…

He was now independent…

He had fought all the wrong wars before…

But in the end he fought for the right one…

In the end he gained his independence…

He's a survivor after all…

There you have it I'm actually happy about it though…

I've always been thinking about making a one-shot…

But I couldn't find any inspiration… until today…

It's independence day after all for us Filipinos :D

So long live!

Or should I say…

MABUHAY!