A/N: Let's just say this story was looking for a home.
Revised: Is it any better? This is my first fanfic here and I'm still getting used to the rules. Do tell if I'm missing something important.
Disclaimer: I do not own "Naruto" nor the song "Breakaway".
~Sakura~
I walked away from camp, the mission is complete. Our captive is still unconscious as Kakashi-sensei and Naruto sit by a camp fire. I can't help it, I wanted to be alone for a while. While climbing up a tree branch overhanging from a cliff, I felt my thigh hurt due to one of the captive's hits that I have miscalculated and failed to dodge. I leaned my head back at the trunk and reminisce.
It started raining when my lips smiled casually. Usually at times like this, I would sit beside the window and watch. There doesn't seem to be anything magical about the rain or the grey clouds, they look so gloomy. But the raindrops look a lot like tears that fall from eyes that explodes with the need to love and be loved.
Konoha was quite a small village, if one wants to talk sarcastically. But almost everyone knows one another especially ninjas of the same age group. That was what was special about the Konoha 11, though the name is kind of unupdated for another member has joined the group. It may be subdivided into four teams but the group is a tight knit of friends.
Eleven friends, that's a lot. Though it still feels incomplete. Even if we are already twelve, one sheep has left the flock too soon. Maybe if only Sasuke had stayed, if only the Akatsuki weren't hunting Naruto, if only life had been simpler, but then again, reality sucks and all of those were true. Though, it was never impossible to feel the ache of wishing friends never became enemies.
Its very hard to want to help a friend, but I don't know how. Its hard to watch the people around you suffer, harder to be able to do nothing but watch. Sure I was there for them, but I never felt close to being helpful.
I felt lost at every inconsistencies. Thinking I was useless to the team, I tried my best to be good enough, I strived to be better, to excel in the things that I could do. I tried to protect those that I love, but it never made the situation any better, maybe even worse for myself. I was the best in our team at chakra control, maybe even perfect, but what is the use of a gift that has no use?
Felt like no one could hear me
When Lady Tsunade came, I felt relieved. A new Hokage, a new start, and probably an opportunity to become a better Kunoichi.
To become better, that's right. I did become better in oh so many ways, to finally have the fighting chance to bring him back. But then again, three and a half years later, what have we, what have I achieved?
I could see Sasuke's smirking face waiting for me beyond, then his smirk changed to a smile, a loving smile. I can't help but cry. I feel lonely, I feel helpless. I wept at the thought that Naruto may never keep his promise, he may never have the family bond of a brother he had sought in Sasuke, I cringed at the thought of never seeing him smile.
I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly
I can feel my heart beating harder as depression keeps tugging it with full force. I can hear it fighting, but a crack has formed, a crack that should never heal. I have fallen to my knees, my hands are in a fist, punching myself in the chest. In trying to revert my mind from the pain, I doubled over, tears escape my eyelids as my heart starts to burst. I stood up knowing this will never end...
Out of the darkness and into the sun
Hopelessness never failed to fill me, I wanted to breakaway from this heart ache, the wind was calling for me, waiting for it to carry me in its arms, to release me from this misery called life. Maybe death does not seem so bad after all, I stepped of the edge. I need to breakaway before I broke apart.
~Naruto~
"What gives? She really is emotional." I thought aloud as I watched Sakura walk away from the group.
"If that's the case, I succeeded." an unknown voice blurted.
Looking around the camp, I saw Kakashi-sensei glaring at the captive. Even if one of his eyes were covered, the man sure could still stare the life out of you, this though does not seem to scare our tied up captive.
"My experiment seems to be working, at least now I know the formula works. Soon, that little girl will be begging for release." he continued, a wicked grin displayed across his face.
Enraged, I picked him up by his collar and gave the captive a good, hard shake. "What are you talking about?" I asked forbiddingly through gritted teeth.
"Simple, everyone has their own inner weaknesses. It just takes a little push to drive them crazy." he said smiling at me, though his eyes were lost looking at the stars above.
"What have you...!" I shook him harder trying to get him spit out all the anwers, until Kakashi-sensei pulled me back by a shoulder. He was holding the captive's weapon with his other hand.
I wanted to calm down, try to face my former teacher with a different face, but all efforts were useless anyway. It's the life of a dear teammate we are dealing with and I don't have the control to calm down.
"This has wounded Sakura during the battle, and is laced with poison." Kakashi-sensei said pointing at the base of the knife, where the blade meets the hilt. A blue liquid seems to have dried on the blade along with her blood that has tasted the sharpened edge.
Suddenly, Kakashi-sensei turned to the captive and punched him in the face, sending him back to a deep slumber. Kakashi then faced me again.
"You could have let me do that long ago!" I complained.
"It doesn't matter." he said. "It's Sakura's emotions he has been playing with this time. Remember he has been reported to have been a mad doctor experimenting with the human body. This is his latest test, sadly Sakura was the subject." he explained.
"What are you talking about?" I screamed at him. Why couldn't just cut to the chase?
"He's playing with emotions, ones that could kill. She might die of a heart attack if not suicide." he said, though matching the intensity of my scream.
"Then let's go find her"
"You go first, I need to tie this guy before he runs away." he said while walking towards the very bad doctor.
I grunted before I ran out to find a suicidal Sakura.
Breakaway
I'm now panicking, if I don't save her, Sakura is going to die. She and I are the only ones left in the trio of Team 7 and I can't imagine loosing another friend. Why in the world did we let her go alone in the first place? I should have noticed that her wound is not ordinary, it should have been healing properly when it started to swell.
"Shadow clone jutsu!"
Copies of myself appeared out of thin air. I nodded to them, and they understood the unsaid instruction as they nodded back. In a few moments, they all disappeared with a single goal in mind.
I reached a clearing, the light from the sky is brighter since the moon si full. "Sakura" I whispered into the air as I stared at the pink-haired figure staring at the horizon. She was not facing me, but I could see her sobbing. I wanted to console her, try to calm her down. So I walked quietly next to her fearing she might slip off the cliff.
As I came closer, her sobbing stopped, she finally calmed down. Maybe, the poison had no effect on her, I hopefully thought. Cheering myself a little, I smiled to myself, Sakura is a very strong woman. But then, she raised her arms perpendicular to her own body.
"Sakura, don't!"
I panicked, though she does not seem to hear me, I tried to remove the distance between us, but before I could grab her arm she already jumped.
Still panicking, I breathed once and jumped. I was, as usual, acting on impulse. Skydiving, never really thought I would do this again, but here I am trying. She was still a few meters away, and a lot more closer to the ground, when a shadow appeared.
The next moment, she was gone. Someone else had taken her, I fell through the remaining distance between the ground and myself. I landed flat on my feet, then on my knees weeping, why can't we all breakaway from this terrible place?
~Sasuke~
I was walking through the forest trail trying to clear my head. Everything has been all messed up, when your goals ended up to be the last thing you would want to do, you feel like breaking apart into pieces, like a vase that has reached the most glorious top shelf only to fall back to the ground destroyed.
I was called a traitor, though the title seems to fit in all the right places, I let myself be imprisoned by revenge with barriers of hate. I have let myself be caught in the trap and now guilt envelopes the barrier that may strenghten my cage. Sometimes, I wonder what would have happened with a different set of choices.
Revenge, that was my purpose, but now bearing what I have had to know from the beginning, why can't I just breakaway? I keep walking till I reached a dead end, a large wall of rock carved by natural forces. Is this what will become of me? Will death be the only one worth waiting for in my life?
Maybe I don't know where they'll take me
I heard a scream from above, it wasn't screeching from a scared female traveler. It was a male's voice, with the quality that is oh so familiar. As a reflex, I looked up to its direction.
A figure is falling from the sky, limbs outstretched, I recognize a person in free fall. But as that person nears the ground, I notice pink hair framing her head. And as far as I'm concerned, there is only one person, no, only one girl in this world who has pink hair. I can't let another comrade die, not like this, not if I can do something about it.
I landed back on the ground holding her in my arms. She's unconcious, her eyes are closed, and she seems still and frail in my arms, though I have seen what this girl is capable of. I gently touch her cheek, feeling the loss of its warmth, when I noticed she isn't breathing. I pressed two fingers at the side of her neck, this is never good.
I laid her on the forest floor, though quick as not to lose any more time. I placed my palms over the other and pressed it to her chest, counting. No response, I pressed my lips into hers, while closing her nose. I breathed air back into her lungs. Her lips were dry due to the fall but at least its still soft.
When I pulled my head away to look back at her, she was stirring. I placed a hand under her head as the other cups her cheek shaking it gently to wake her.
I won't forget all the ones that I loved
"Sakura, wake up" I begged.
"Sasuke?" she responded as she opened her eyes. I smiled, I've never felt like this in years, even that seemed like a lifetime ago. But she quickly closed her eyes again, though this time life filled her as she smiled herself to rest.
I gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a change
I held her close, a part of my old life that I learned to regret leaving, and a reminder of everything I left. I hugged her tightly, letting her head press against my chest. I listened to her breathing, panicking every time she takes too long to take another. Pushing a stray strand of hair from her face, I felt the sides of my lips tugging upwards, thinking that the girl I had called annoying, is now the woman that I could not bear to leave. I hope I could stay with her, I wish I could go back.
The silence did not last long, or at least it wasn't enough. Soon, I heard noises, feet crunching the leaves of the forest floor. By the rate of their steps, I could estimate two people wandering the forest.
Sharingan activated, I took her up in my arms, ready to stand up. But as I searched at the surrounding area, familiarity came across me as I sensed the chakra signatures of those two forest wanderers.
Tension ceased as I saw Kakashi-sensei and Naruto appear before me.
"I thought you'll never come." I said
"Well, what a reunion?" Kakashi-sensei remarked as I wore a smirk at him.
A loudmouth he was, but now all I see is my best friend, Naruto, his mouth wide opened in shock at how I held the only female member of our team.
"Let's all go home" Kakashi-sensei gently proposed. I looked from Sakura to Naruto, who now has a special smile strewn from ear to ear. I smiled in agreement. Maybe death isn't the only one waiting for me, maybe opportunities for a better life are still there if I just look up to a higher purpose...
And breakaway...