Title: Vengeance
Date: March 28, 2010
Summary: Haruno Sakura was dead. Haruno Sakura was dead and Uchiha Sasuke knew that he shouldn't care. But he did anyway.
Pairing: Team7ness, Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata
Rating: M
Themes: Angst/Mystery/Drama/Romance
Vengeance
PROLOGUE
It was raining.
The weather was perfectly fitting. Large, grey clouds hung low in the vast skies, preventing warm sunlight to touch land, allowing the proper gloom to wash throughout battle-ridden terrain in steady torrential showers, cleansing crimson liquid from scattered weapons, soaking three unmoving figures in a large clearing, two forms breathing heavily in tire, one absolutely still in lifelessness.
Torn clothes shifted irritatingly against sore, open wounds and the rain water did nothing to help. Broken bones throbbed, entire bodies shook, fingers clenched into tight fists as if the action itself would lessen the pain.
"…Why did you help me?"
Uchiha Sasuke lifted his head, ebony hair sticking to the skin of his face due to the rainwater, but his dark eyes easily found the unmistakable orange and black of Uzumaki Naruto. However, the blonde didn't meet his gaze, he was slumped against a tree, just as badly wounded as the Uchiha, but his royal blue eyes were unfocused, a slight wince twisting his features as he adjusted his seated position. Sasuke silently examined the Leaf Shinobi, noticing that he was bleeding from various wounds, his right arm was broken, and bruises littered his tanned skin as well as chakra-burns from the Kyuubi's emergence during the vicious battle.
Turning his head away, Sasuke was only met with the image of a prone, hooded figure laying meters away, soaked by the rain and the scarlet blood leaving the motionless body, rivulets slithering against the ground only to be stopped by the discarded orange mask, the item cracked, the lone opening staring up at the weeping heavens.
"…Sasuke?"
The Uchiha's frown deepened slightly, feeling Naruto's gaze directed at him but he refused to meet it. Instead he grunted as he moved, trying to get into a standing position, using Kusanagi to steady his fatigued body. Across the clearing, he could hear Naruto trying to do the same.
"Sasuke," Naruto repeated, a little firmer than before, louder, clearly wanting an answer.
This time, Sasuke did meet Naruto's stare, making sure the blonde also felt his intense, annoyed glare; brows furrowed sharply for further effect, "Hn."
Naruto didn't back down, he met Sasuke's glower with a fierce scowl of his own, blue eyes deepening in color, "…What do you plan on doing now, Sasuke? You've killed Danzou, you've killed Konoha's Village Elders, you've killed Uchiha Obito," Naruto flinched faintly as he took a step forward, "Anyone else you plan on killing?"
Sasuke stared at the boy – no, they were men now – appraisingly. He could see that Naruto was angry, Sasuke was unsurprised; he had attacked his beloved Village in the dead of night to kill Konoha's Council Members. He could also see that the blonde was wary, confused even that the Uchiha had turned traitor on Madara and aided Naruto in defeating him when it seemed like the Kyuubi-Vessel was close to losing – close to death. But one deed of assistance couldn't wipe Sasuke's Record. Naruto could be his next victim, Konoha could still be an enemy to the young Uchiha; Sasuke was an ambiguity.
Throwing another glare at the exhausted blonde since Naruto was crouching into a defensive position, still unsure of Sasuke's motives, the Uchiha walked towards the swirling, orange mask on the ground and stepped on it, causing the object to crack into several pieces, "…I killed Danzou and the Elders because they wronged my Clan; they deserved it. I killed Obito because his goals spat on what Itachi wanted," His fist clenched against Kusanagi's hilt, "He deserved death too."
Naruto's stance slackened fractionally with confusion, "And Konoha?"
Sasuke's fist lost tension and his obsidian stare connected with brightened blue, "…Your Village is of no concern to me. My vengeance is settled."
At those words, Naruto seemed to brighten with a hope that Sasuke did not want to see, in fact, the slowly growing grin on the blonde's face made his frown deepen, "Then that means–"
"–I am not going back to the Hidden Leaf, Naruto," Sasuke interrupted darkly, taking a step away from him, in the direction opposite of Fire Country, "I refuse to."
The Uchiha could imagine frustration on Naruto's expression, hearing his steps stumble after him, "But Sasu–"
"No," The ex-Avenger growled with finality as he glared at Naruto from over his shoulder, ignoring the pain that came with his harsh movements, "Konoha is no longer my home, I don't want to go back, so stop trying to bring me back."
"But why?" Naruto pleaded desperately, angry, "We've worked so hard; it's not Team Seven without you!" He shook his head, and in the rain it looked as if he was crying – maybe he was, "You have a home with us, Sasuke! W-We're family."
Sasuke's eyes flashed, "My family died twelve years ago. There's nothing left for me in that Village, nothing."
"Do we really mean so little to you, Sasuke?" The question was softly spoken, so broken, "Me and Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan…Are you really willing to cut off those bonds?"
Sasuke was silent for several moments, memories unbidden flashing in his mind, of times before his defection, and his jaw clenched as he suppressed those images, "…I already cut those bonds. Years ago," He stared at Naruto blankly, "It's you that isn't willing to let go of something that won't come back."
"But–"
"I can't go back to that Village, Naruto," Sasuke sighed, soft, and he closed his eyes because his body ached and he was so tired, "Not after the injustice of what they did to handle my family," He opened his eyes and obsidian pierced through royal blue, "Can you really ask me to go back to that, to live somewhere knowing about what happened in the past? I can't."
Naruto inhaled, ready to spill out his thoughts and beliefs, but then he saw true sadness and despair swirling in Sasuke's eyes and he stopped, his mouth closing as he really considered the Uchiha's words and all that he had been through, "…What would you do then, Sasuke?"
Sasuke looked at the floor, watched the water impact against the ground and ripple the surrounding puddles, "…Start over."
"Where?" The blonde pressed, his left hand cradling his fractured right arm, "Because you know, you know that you always have a home with us…Not Konoha, but with Team Seven; with Kaka-sensei, and Sakura-chan, and me…We'd protect you."
Sasuke shook his head, "I don't need protecting. I need a different purpose in life. If I went with you, the Uchiha name would still be tainted. I don't want that."
"…People will hunt you down," Naruto whispered, shaking his own head, "You're a Criminal, an S-Class Criminal who attacked very important people. They'll kill you if you don't go back with me."
"Then they'll kill me," Sasuke sighed as he began walking again, accepting his fate.
"But Sasuke–"
"Don't interfere," The Uchiha replied without looking back.
Naruto watched as Sasuke slowly trekked across the clearing, stepping passed Uchiha Obito's corpse, carefully maneuvering through scattered kunai and shuriken. His heart clenched as he watched his best friend – his brother – walk away, his clothes matted with rainwater and blood, shoulders slumped in exhaustion, his stride not as confident and prideful as the Uzumaki was used to seeing. He knew that if Sasuke continued walking, out into the world without any shelter or friends or even a purpose, he would be hunted down and he would die, because the Uchiha had nothing left; he'd readily accept death to escape the hell he had just lived through.
So if he was given – needed – a chance to start over…
"I'll tell everyone you're dead!" Naruto called out, Sasuke halting his steps but not turning around; the blonde continued hurriedly, "I'll tell everyone I killed you…If it means that you can start over. Y-You just have to promise that you're going to take this opportunity to start over! You have to promise you won't die for stupid reasons, got it?"
Slowly, Sasuke shifted his head, one eye glancing at the blonde over his left shoulder. It was a stare that Naruto couldn't distinguish against the torrent of rain and he watched in apprehension as Sasuke turned away and began walking again. The blonde's shoulders didn't relax until the Uchiha's words carried in the wind, and he watched his fading form in the distance, saddened but hopeful for the tragic ninja – his best friend.
"Thank you, Naruto."
Maybe Sasuke could start over. Maybe one day their paths would cross again. Maybe Sasuke would find another, more meaningful purpose for his life. Maybe, one day things could be different.
Until then…
"Goodbye, Sasuke…And Good Luck."
A/N: Okay, another Story Idea, I know, but like Missing In Action, I'm only posting the first chapter up to remind me that this is a project that I want to continue and to see what kind of feedback it will receive. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be making an appearance, as my top priorities are The Curse, It All Started With, and Forbidden Bonds with False Façade, Missing In Action, and Vengeance as my Second in Priority. Hmm, I just wanted to take a Crack at something that would be a little more parallel to Canon, except not. I suppose you won't know the premise of this story until Chapter Two, and I'll try to get that out as soon as possible, but TC and IASW first, then MIA and FB, then FF and V…That's the order of importance right now, but if I'm struck with Inspiration by my MUSE like it's doing with The Curse, who knows?
BUT this will be a short multi-chapter fiction. About 10-15 Chapters. Not a big plot, but eh, I'll write it anyway. :)
Another Note: I'm heading out of my comfort zone in this story because it deals with some sexuality, so a possible Lemon, which is a first for me which makes me nervous. Forbidden Bonds is supposed to have sexuality too but I haven't exactly gotten to that part in the story yet, it's not for a few chapters, but in this story, it comes pretty early, hence the Rated M so, just a warning to you if you're uncomfortable with it, but as my personal preference, I like my lemon scenes to be very tasteful, like, how I write it is very imaginative but not vulgar...I hope that makes sense...haha.
Hope you like so far, please tell me what you think! Does it sound interesting? A good read? Let me know?
Disclaimer: Nope, I do not own.
Next Chapter: Encounter – Three Years Later (Update: No Idea)
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