Angel's Path

Written by dryingtears

Prologue – A Twist in Fate

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

She sat alone, broken in a field of blooming flowers and happiness, her body shaded from the gentle sunlight by the tree for which she was named. Her tears crawled down from her emerald eyes, her sobs carried by the wind. Petals danced and twirled around her broken frame, her small hands slowly wiping away new tears.

"Are you okay?"

She gasped at the voice speaking to her, and she quickly began to shuffle around, making her appearance bearable. She felt a hand slightly larger than hers place itself on her shoulder, and her eyes widened, heat rushing to her face.

"We're not in the house, it doesn't matter."

Her pink hair covered her eyes as her head bowed in respect, and she was surprised when he took a seat beside her, his hand moving from its place on her shoulder back to his side. She knew he was not one to talk or to open up, and it scared her that he was providing her with rare support.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She began to cough from holding her breath too long, and her emerald eyes turned and met with his obsidian orbs. Tears began to fall from her eyes again, and her sobs began to grow louder and louder. He looked at her sympathetically, and his small thumb began to slowly wipe away her tears.

"Kaa-san will kill you, you know. And it's not only her. Everyone will, Saku-chan."

Sakura nodded slightly, and began to calm herself down again. He gave her a small smile, and she slowly returned it.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. I should have told you," She whispered.

His smile grew wider, and he shyly held her hand in his.

"It's fine, Saku-chan. You can tell me whatever you want. Besides..."

Her eyebrow rose with interest as he paused to think about how to state his words, and she fought her urge to giggle at the red tint appearing on his face.

"...I promise to protect you, okay?"

Her eyes widened, and her world had grown brighter. He gently smiled at her and gave her hand a small squeeze, and she tackled him to the ground, embracing him tight, never wanting to let him go.

"You're my personal angel, Saku-chan..." He gently whispered in her ears.

Nothing in the world could explain how happy she was at that moment in her childhood's prime.

"So keep smiling for me, and promise to never cry..."

She smiled and snuggled into his chest, nodding into the soft fabric of his shirt.

"I promise."

"No, I'm not!"

She stood firmly on the wooden floor, her delicate hands clenched in tight fists. She had grown taller and more beautiful over the years, her girlish features growing into that of a young woman's. Her emerald eyes glimmered under the bright sunlight penetrating through the windows, the strength of her youth intimidating her elders.

"Sakura-chan, you must! It's a duty for Uchiha-sama! You must!"

Her eyes glared at the snickering maids eavesdropping whilst they were "cleaning", and her eyes returned to the two people standing in front of her. After her parents had disappeared, they had become her 'foster' parents, as Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto were too busy as it was running a whole clan.

"I am not going to marry! No! I refuse! Especially that of a man from the Hyuuga! Chances are he have disrespected me at least once over the years. I refuse to marry."

Rei and Hiro stared at her quietly, knowing that it would take much more persuading to get her to go through with an arranged marriage. She had not known that Uchiha Fugaku, was the mastermind behind the marriage, as he found it necessary to strengthen the bonds between the two strongest clans in the village. They averted their gazes to meet each other's eyes, and they grit their teeth. They had promised him an arranged marriage. It was their duty as his servants.

"You are."

Sakura glared at them, her eyes gaining intensity as the seconds passed.

"I do not do arranged marriages. I am a young woman, and I reserve the right to marry who I wish. As I said before, this man in the Hyuuga clan may have disrespected me. I refuse to have a disrespectful husband whom I don't even love."

Her 'mother' stepped forward and took hold of her shoulders, their faces so close that electricity clashed out from both their eyes.

"What if you know this Hyuuga? What if he was a man who would not dare disrespect you?"

Sakura's interest was heightened, her eyes showing amusement as her mother began to unknowingly spill the secrets.

"Rei, stop it! You're going to..."

Her father was stopped by her mother's intense eyes, and her mother continued to stare into emerald.

"What if he was Hyuuga Ne-" Her speech was stopped when a harsh voice interrupted her.

"What is going on here?"

Sakura gasped and turned around to find Uchiha Sasuke, the heir to the Uchiha clan, standing before her, his usual harsh eyes seeming to bear more fire within them.

"Uchiha-sama had arranged a marriage for Sakura-chan...and it was arranged that she meet her husband-to-be today..." Rei whispered, her eyes not daring to stare into the heir.

Sasuke's eyes flashed a blood red, and he stomped off to his parents' complex, angered by what he had heard. Sakura could only watch, scared about what was going to happen in her near future. But her thoughts were interrupted by the unfaithful maids who only worked for the Uchiha's to get closer to their son.

"Look what you're going to do. You're going to break up the clan, Forehead-girl!" One yelled.

Another joined in.

"You're the ugliest thing! I don't know why Sasuke-sama would care! You should be happy you're marrying a Hyuuga! At least keep your dignity as a woman!"

She glared at them once more, her fists threatening to land onto their ugly faces. A twisted smile was playing on her lips, and her deathly aura was enough to make them shut their mouths.

"I have the dignity to remain a virgin, my virginity a present to my husband. You maids are pathetic excuses, sleeping with every Uchiha left and right, only to hope to make your way to Sasuke-kun. But I am sorry to break it to you, but Sasuke-kun is a smarter man than you think he is. You may be infatuated with him, but he can see through your ugly masks. All you want is money and to bear his handsome child," She spat.

The maids stared at her angrily, unable to bring themselves to say anything more. Because it was as she had said; her words were true and menacing. It was true...the truth hurts. Sakura smiled in victory, and made her way to follow Sasuke.

"Father, what is the meaning of this?!" Sasuke yelled, barging into his parents' complex.

He was stopped, however, by the flashing red of the Sharingan present on his father's face, and he turned to his mother, who had an unusual solemn look on her face. Her eyes were downcast, and she could only look at him sympathetically. His eyes silently asked his mother for answers, but she shook her head and offered a sympathetic smile.

"You're going to marry."

His heart stopped on the inside, but he was able to maintain his stoic expression. He questioned his father, anger and confusion ready to be released on his parents.

"In these times of Konoha, we must strengthen our clan's power to help ourselves in the long run, and to help our village. It was arranged that you marry the daughter of one of my old colleagues."

His eyes were no longer able to remain obsidian, and the three tomoe of his Sharingan were twirling dangerously fast.

"I won't."

He stood his ground. His father slammed his fists on the desk before him, threatening to crack the valuable mahogany into pieces.

"You will. You will make me proud. You will not dishonor this clan."

He was unable to spit back a retort, because someone stepping into the room interrupted the meeting. Sasuke slowly turned around and greeted her with a rare smile, but she was unable to return it. The look on her masters' faces was scaring her. What was going on?

"Uchiha-sama? Mikoto-san? What is...?"

Fugaku let a twisted smile loose on his lips, and his eyes showed a twisted type of pleasure. Sakura began to back away, but his menacing baritone stopped her, frozen in fear.

"Sasuke is getting married."

She fell to the floor, her mind numb. What was happening to her? What was this feeling of...pain?

"Since that bastard son of mine, Itachi, isn't here anymore, Sasuke needs to get ready for being clan leader."

Tears began to rush down from her eyes, and all Sasuke could do was offer his presence in the room. Mikoto looked on, her heart telling her to get up from beside her husband and rush to the girl she had raised. But she sat still, her heart being torn to pieces by the distraught angel's guise.

"And he did it all behind your back. He loves this woman...He loves Satou Ami."

Sakura's fists slammed on the floor in pain. Ami? That woman that made her life hell? She slowly got up, her heart seeming to lose more and more blood by the seconds.

"...Oh." Was all she was able to say.

She ran out the door, out of the complex, out of the Uchiha clan's territory before Sasuke or Mikoto could say anything to stop her. She knew Sasuke was hot on her trail, but she soon hid her chakra and lost him.

And she was gone like the leaves in the winter time.
Sasuke returned to his parents' complex, his figure and guise broken. Why had his father done that to him? Why? Before he entered the room, he heard his parents fighting.

"How dare you do that to Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan! How dare you, Fugaku!"

His eyes widened. It was not everyday that his mother's kindly voice was raised in anger. Uchiha Mikoto was a woman of gentility and kindness.

"I did what was right! I could not have my son in an affair with a maid! I will not allow it!"

At this he burst into their room, fists tightly clenched, his harsh obsidian eyes drained of any love and kindness he had felt for his father.

"It doesn't matter anymore. Because Sakura's gone..." His voice began to trail off, and he could feel his mother's sympathy.

But even the love of his mother couldn't stop his heart from hurting, or loneliness enshrouding his body.

"...And there's nothing I can do."

His father stared wide-eyed at his son's disobedience, while his mother stared at him sympathetically. She gracefully stood from her husband's side, and stood beside her son instead, offering him a motherly embrace. And as she felt the salty liquid forever stain her dress, she glared at her husband, as to tell him that their son was gone, and it was all his fault.

Sakura once again sat alone, her heart broken, her tears gently falling upon the soft earth. It was where she had shared so many memories with her one and only love, Uchiha Sasuke. But now it only held bitterness.

Lies.

Lies.

She bit her tongue bitterly. All that he had told her were lies. He didn't love her.

What happened to being your angel, Sasuke? Why? Why didn't you keep your promise to me?

She didn't want to believe, but she did. She didn't know why, but for once, once, she was listening to her mind instead of her heart. She managed to laugh, leaving the air with a heavy weight.

What heart? Oh yeah...the one Sasuke stole.

"Now, what did we tell you about crying?"

Her eyes widened when she felt a shadow loom over her. Those piercing Sharingan eyes that she had forgotten so long ago were gently staring into her own, and she let a loose smile play on her lips.

"Itachi-kun?"

A harsh laugh rang through the spring air, and she herself laughed along with one of her past masters. A hand was offered to her, and she gladly took it.

"Where have you been, all this time, Itachi-kun?" She asked.

He remained silent, as the girl he once knew stood grown beside him, her hand nerve letting go of his. He turned to her and smiled.

"Come with me, Sakura-chan. You can run away."

Sakura's eyes widened, and she slowly turned to where the Uchiha territory stood. She began to think of Sasuke, her one love, but she quickly shook that feeling away and stared into the blood red eyes of the man he so dearly loathed.

"Anything, Itachi-kun."

She smiled at him, and he turned around, waiting for her to follow. Her heart was screaming bloody murder for her to stop, but she shook that feeling away once more.

All Sasuke told me...were lies...

She took one step, her heart once again screaming.

I'm not his angel...

Another step.

And the distraught angel was torn between heaven and hell.

...Which path would she follow?

The path of her heart?

...Or the path of her mind?

The path true love?

...Or the twisted way into a devil's heart?

A/N: Thank you for reading. Please R & R