Chapter One: Chakra
Sasuke moved back as Itachi raised his finger.
"I'm sorry Sasuke," Itachi gasped between pained breaths, "There won't be a next time."
Then Itachi's simply poked Sasuke's forehead, the same as Itachi had done only years before…
Hours later, after speaking with Madara and learning the truth about Itachi's story, Sasuke stood staring, motionless, at his older brother as he lay there; Sasuke had left him.
Newly-detected chakra clouded Sasuke's mind.
Chakra? It's not Zetsu's or Madara's… It feels like… A ninja… An Akatsuki member?… Definitely a kunoichi… Konan? Too young…
Sasuke reactivated the Sharingan turned towards the strange chakra he had felt. Nothing…
Was that a tress of hair? He thought, as something golden~ the exact shade of sunset ~ seemed to move. This chakra… I can almost see it. An Aura… and… tears? Why would she be crying?
Sasuke tensed; all thoughts of Itachi were gone. He placed a hand on his katana; the other reached for a kunai. The chakra moved again, and then again. She was coming towards him, hesitantly. Sasuke gripped the kunai harder. He tensed up and shot the knife into the air. It sunk solidly in the trunk of a frail, sickly tree, narrowly missing the face of a kunoichi with the strange chakra… Sasuke straightened, confused. And now that he was closer, her chakra seemed almost familiar. Sasuke heard something behind him and spun around, katana drawn.
A young ninja with the mask of a fox held Itachi's lifeless corpse, his arm slung over her shoulder. The kunoichi ignored Sasuke.
He didn't know what Konoha wanted with Itachi's body, but he wasn't about to let this girl get away. Defeating his brother hadn't worn him out; instead, Sasuke was now almost twitching, he had so much spare energy. Besides, how hard could a she be to defeat?
But he couldn't move. He glanced down, and froze. She had placed two clones under ground; they now held him in place.
Growling, Sasuke threw a second kunai. The face of the fox fell away in two pieces, Sasuke stared.
Tears were falling softly across her skin, pale and ashy, over her cheeks and delicately shaped lips. But her mouth was dull in comparison to her addictive royal blue eyes.
"Sayuri?" Sasuke asked, shocked. The girl just stared at him, before turning away and running back into the trees, Itachi's body at her side.
What's going on…? Sasuke thought.
Rain was pouring hard in Konoha. The sky was dark, illuminated only momentarily by angry flashes of lightning.
Konoha hospital sat amongst the mess, those within its walls gazing out the windows at the storm outside.
Two young ninja stood outside a large door which led to the patient's rooms. They were forbidden from entering, and they stood in silence. The girl fidgeted in her place.
"K-Kiba-kun…do you think she's all right?" her soft voice was quieter than usual and she fiddled with her hands.
The boy beside her looked to the ceiling, eyes closed.
"I'm not sure, Hinata-chan, but I really hope so."
They became silent once more as a mutual sense of dread crept over them. Kiba sniffed the air.
"Hmmm…they're on their way up."
A few moments later, a small group burst through the stairwell door and towards the pair. The blond spoke first.
"Is she ok?" he asked, panting for breath. The rest of the group nodded, trying to catch their breath as well. They were all soaking wet from running in the rain.
Hinata shook her head.
"We're not sure Naruto-kun. Nobody will tell us."
"I couldn't do anything to help her before, and now…" Kiba turned and punched the wall.
"Dammit!" he yelled, "We can't do anything to help. We can't even try if they won't let us know what's going on!"
Naruto's hands clenched into fists at his side. The rest of the group stood in silence.
Suddenly the door burst open and several doctors and nurses came running from the room in a hurry, each of them glancing at the group before turning away and continuing down the hall.
"Get her to the emergency room!" a doctor ordered from inside the room.
As the group of young Kunoichi and shinobi watched, a young girl was wheeled out of the room on a stretcher. Her small, delicate face was pale, even against the pure white pillow, her dark hair messily encircling her face. Her expression was pained, and her breathing was shallow and labored. Her eyes were closed and she made no reaction as her friends called out her name.
She was wheeled by them quickly as the doctors rushed her down the hall.
Only Kiba and Naruto, the two closest as she was rushed past, heard the single word that escaped her lips.
A barely audible whisper, "Sasuke-kun".