A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ARIFA-CHAN! Tanjoubi Omedetou! :D I hope you like your birthday present! I worked really NOT hard on it o.e :P
For everyone else who might or might not be reading, this is the scene from Episode 109, when Sasuke leaves Konoha and Sakura shows up. I know my writing sucks and I couldn't think of a good title (not that this title makes much sense -_-) and I haven't done anything creative either! Just described it all and kinda ruined it and... change the ending a little o.o I like the ending, though I am not a HUGE supporter of Sakura/Sasuke o.O They are still better than Naruto/Sakura .
Anyway... Hope you enjoy this one-shot :D You may need to watch the episode again for this to make sense o.e HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :D
The Last Cherry Night
Late at night, the village of Konoha seems too deserted. Abandoned. As if the noisy energy that exists from dawn till dusk was never here. Just the noiseless wind and some shy crickets making lonely music now. The cluck of his shoes against the ground is too loud compared to that. Doesn't matter. He'll be out of here soon.
Uchiha Sasuke's eyes were partway closed but he didn't need to see where he was going. He knew the area pretty well. He had grown up there after all. All those times of showing off and making Naruto look like an idiot in front of the girls. It seemed so pointless now. He should have known he would never fit in here. He should have expected that he was destined to leave the village where he had no purpose.
Sasuke moved unhurriedly, trying to accept his fate and at the same time, reveling in the clucking silence. It was almost painful, walking past his school, knowing that this would be the last time he was doing so. But he was empty inside. Plainly dead. He wasn't even sure if his heart was beating anymore.
Sasuke opened his eyes slowly. There was somebody there in front of him. He paused reluctantly near the bench, staring straight into those panicked, emerald eyes.
Sakura.
"What are you doing… wandering around here at night?"
His tone was firm, irrelevant per usual. Sakura lowered her gaze.
"You have to take this road in order to leave the village…"
"Go home and sleep…" Sasuke advised, harshly and continued his voyage. He passed by the pink haired girl and heard a hushed whimper.
Sasuke gulped and gritted his teeth, unfaltering in his steps. He needed to get out of here. He didn't need this right now. Not her. Not Sakura.
"Why? Why won't you tell me anything?" Sakura choked pathetically. Sasuke felt his stomach clench in self revolt. "Why do you always remain silent?"
"It has nothing to do with you! Stop butting in!"
"You've always hated me, huh?"
Sasuke paused mid-step, his eyes widening in surprise. Why… would she say something like that?
"Do you remember the day we became Genin and when our three-member team was chosen? The day you and I were here alone, you got mad at me, remember?" the shift in Sakura's voice was amazing: she sounded almost happy, yet incredibly poignant. Sasuke squeezed his eyes, his heart racing. Of course he remembered…
"Oh yeah, you know how he doesn't have parents, right? If you're alone, your parents wouldn't get mad at you. That's why he's so selfish!"
Sasuke had never felt as angry as he did now. For the first time ever, he wanted to hit a girl. How could someone be so utterly despicable, he would never have imagined it.
"You're annoying."
And then, she had made that face… That face which made Sasuke almost want to kill himself…
How could someone be so utterly innocent, he would never have imagined it.
He could never hate Sakura. Because, she was the only one who could make him feel. She was the only one who could-
"I don't remember," Sasuke lied blandly. He heard Sakura give a weak, false laugh behind him.
"O-Of course. It happened a long time ago. But that's the day when everything started… You and I… And, Naruto and Kakashi-sensei…"
Catching those dumb bells…
Going on their first C-ranked mission…
Naruto being a bonehead…
Sensei with his never-ending romance novel…
Sakura… being her strong, beautiful self…
Under the night sky, emblazoned with a thousand stars….
"They were tough and a lot of work but… it was fun!"
And so worthless.
"I know about your clan…"
She cares.
"But, revenge won't make anyone happy."
I know that.
"No one. Neither you, nor I…"
A cloud obstructed the moon and threw both friends in the dark. Sasuke gave himself a half-hearted smile.
"Just as I thought…" he spoke resolutely. "I am different from you guys. I thought I was supposed to do the things you guys did but… my heart just wasn't into it. I always wanted revenge.
He paused.
"I can't be like you and Naruto…" he finished with a final note in his voice.
"Are you going to be alone again?! You taught me that solitude is painful! I understand that now. I have family… and friends but… if you're gone, to me, it will be the same as being alone!"
"…From here on, a new path will open for all of us."
"I love you so much, Sasuke-kun! If you stay with me, I'll make sure you won't regret it!" Sakura claimed hoarsely. For a moment, Sasuke allowed himself to unwind. He closed his eyes and basked in the afterglow of the girl's confession.
"Every day will be fun. We'll be happy."
How could someone be so utterly naïve…
"…I'll do anything for you! So… Please! Stay here! I'll help you!"
So utterly foolish…
"Please stay!"
The moon emerged from behind the darkness. Suddenly, everything seemed so simple… All he had to do was stay. Do nothing and just…. Stay.
With Sakura.
"If you can't stay, take me with you."
No.
Staying wasn't an option. Not if it made Sakura come out here in the middle of the night to talk some sense into a lost cause. Not if it threatened her sanity. Not if it clouded her judgment of good and bad. Not if it made her want to be bad too.
Sasuke took a deep breath and arranged a cruel smirk on his face before glancing back at the half- hiccupping, half-sobbing girl.
"You really are annoying."
He forced his frozen legs to move again, trying his best to forget the look of pure, unadulterated mar he had received. If his heart was hammering before, it didn't even compare to what it did when Sakura ran after him screaming.
"Don't leave! If you do, I'll scream!"
A split second of ninjutsu later, Sasuke was right behind her. He felt Sakura stiffen and hold her breath. He held his own, making sure he wasn't trembling when he spoke.
"Sakura… Thank you."
He raised his hand and angled it carefully, striking Sakura's head at a place where it wouldn't hurt. The base of his fist brushed against her soft hair as she gasped sweetly and started to fall. Sasuke caught her before she could hit the ground.
The retched moon threw both friends in the dark again as the Uchiha held her close, wishing his life was as simple as the girl in his arms. He gazed at her lovely face, and felt his heart broke into a million unimaginable pieces. A tear or two threatened to spill out as he brushed his lips chastely against his friend's forehead before proceeding to lay her unconscious form on the bench.
"Naruto…" he spoke to the night air. "I'll kill you myself if you don't keep her happy."
Permitting himself to smile sadly for a final time, Uchiha Sasuke continued his steps to wrongfulness, the clucking fading away as Sakura curled up against the cold bench…