Title: ReAnimated Closure
Date: August 1, 2010
Summary: Second chances can come so rarely. Team Seven wouldn't let it go to waste…Of forgiveness and love in a tragic reunion…
Pairing: Team7ness, Sasuke/Sakura
Rating: T
Themes: Angst/Horror/Tragedy/Drama/Romance/Hurt/Comfort
ReAnimated Closure
"Stay awake, Sakura…Stay awake, keep it together…Stay calm, they need you…You can do this…"
The muttering was soft and almost indistinct, statements broken by heavy panting, pained grunts, the sound of limbs slapping against gravel as a worn form tiredly dragged itself across the rocky terrain of a battle-ridden gorge. Blood smeared a gruesome trail behind the fatigued figure, leaking profusely from deep lacerations littered across porcelain skin but the kunoichi pushed on resolutely, even when her vision was blinded by crimson liquid, coursing in thick rivulets from her hairline down her neck and soaking into her Jounin flak-jacket. Leather gloves snug tight on her petite fists were shredded against her knuckles from overuse, the knuckles on her left hand were broken and throbbing.
An explosion sounded yards away and emerald eyes flickered towards the direction of the blast, watching as rocks burst into large chunks of debris. A familiar, masculine shout sounded, multiplied by the Ninjutsu he was so keen on using, especially when in tough situations. But she could tell he was tiring, she could feel his chakra begin to flux in exhaustion, and her heart dropped when she heard his pained yell echo devastatingly throughout the canyon.
"N-Naruto…!" She gasped softly, pushing her body to further enter the battlefield, self-preservation overridden by the need to be by her team's side.
"Sakura!"
Warm hands grabbed her shoulders and she winced as the unexpected contact caused her body to vibrate with additional pain. Immediately, the hands pulled back and emerald blearily looked up to connect with two dark eyes, conveying a worry that was once lost and forgotten and was slowly beginning to resurface again, especially after seven years since joining them.
"S-Sai…" The Medic acknowledged breathlessly, gaze analyzing him critically, checking for any injuries, any wounds that would need her attention; when she found none too serious she weakly grasped his arm with her good hand, "W-Where are they? W-Where is everyone?"
"Naruto has passed out and has many injuries," Sai explained, arms already winding around her, "Yamato is watching over him…Kakashi and Sasuke are currently trying to drive off Kabuto but it's not looking too good. I've been ordered to bring you back to safety."
Sakura shook her head, even as Sai lifted her up with one arm hooked under her knees and the other propping her back, her head resting against his right shoulder, "No…I need to see them. I can't leave. Bring me to Naruto, Sai."
Sai shook his head, crouching down, already ready to leap off in the opposite direction of the battle sounding behind him, "I cannot Sakura, you need medical attention."
"And so does Naruto!" Sakura snapped, anger filling her body as she glared at her teammate, "I'm the Medic! I need to save him!"
"But–"
"Sai," The kunoichi stated lowly – warningly – her eyes narrowing a fraction further as her grip on his shirt tightened, "Take me to Naruto."
Sai looked down at the woman in his arms, examined her blood stained features with a small frown; he had orders – orders from both Kakashi and Sasuke to find the kunoichi and remove her from danger. Looking down on her he could see that she was beyond being able to contribute more to the battle; her limbs were useless in her fatigue, her chakra was almost completely depleted, and she was losing too much blood. However, the sheer determination on her expression, the tightness of her jaw, the hardness of her emerald irises, the strength she was exhibiting to stay awake when she should be out cold from exhaustion made Sai want to allow Sakura her wish. Team Seven was bonded closely; being removed from her team was unheard of for the kunoichi – or any team member of Team Kakashi for that matter.
"Very well," Sai conceded hesitantly as he shifted his heels; still reluctant as he stared at the pink-haired woman expectantly, "The time of your stay is indefinite, however."
"I understand," Sakura agreed as she tugged on his shirt incessantly, urging him to go, "Please Sai, hurry."
When Sai jumped the high ridges of the valley Sakura stared out at the leveled planes of land that layered in elevation, the signs of a vicious battle clearly evident, rubble scattered all around the field, scorch marks decorating the ground and slated walls. Her eyes landed on the pulsing red chakra on one side of the gorge, erratic in Naruto's unconscious state, the blonde lying supine on the floor as Yamato vigilantly tried to suppress the Kyuubi's power with his Mokuton Techniques. Even from their distance Sakura could see Naruto's skin scorched by the flaming chakra, she could see his facial features twisted in immense pain, and she could see the blood pooling thickly around his body. Her heart lurched.
Across the ravine the bright blue light of electricity sparked the air and the kunoichi switched her gaze just in time to see Sasuke and Kakashi flawlessly perform a double attack on three of Kabuto's summoned corpses. However, despite their combined efforts, despite the power they individually had and the advantage that came with their joint teamwork, the corpses of Uchiha Itachi, Sasori, and Deidara were still too powerful for them. A few levels higher, safe on a tier away from the battlefield, Sakura could make out Kabuto's hooded figure and her anger and irritation increased exponentially, wishing she still had the strength to kill him herself.
Even after the death of Uchiha Madara, even after Uchiha Sasuke's return to Konohagakure, even after Team Kakashi seemed to be finding their team dynamic and rebuilt their bonds and relationships with one another, Kabuto had remained a mystery and an elusive criminal to catch. He was the real threat that was tearing everything Sakura held dear to her heart completely apart.
An agonized scream filled the air and Sakura's head snapped back towards Naruto just as Sai landed meters away from him and Yamato, the blonde's back arching off the ground as the red chakra around him pulsated unpredictably.
"Naruto!" Sakura gasped worriedly as she scrambled out of Sai's arms, hissing in pain when her left leg throbbed with the pressure of her own weight, pushing away Sai's hands as he tried to steady her, limping hastily to her best friend's side, ignoring the pain of her body and clenching her jaw tight to prevent any verbal noises of discomfort.
"Sakura!" Yamato growled – half in surprise with her appearance and half with struggle to maintain his focus on Naruto, "What are you doing here? It's too dangerous!"
Sakura disregarded him in favor of concentrating her remaining chakra into her two hands, ducking under the wooden barrier that protected and barred Naruto from movement, earning a yell of reprimand and protest from both Sai and Yamato. She fell to her knees, glad that she hadn't wasted chakra on her own injuries as she distributed it accordingly in green pulses from her mangled hands to Naruto's shaking form. Tears were coming unbidden to her eyes as she stared at Naruto's open gaze, his bright blue irises absent, scaring her and pushing her to bring her Naruto back.
Sasuke was too far and too busy to use his Sharingan in time to suppress the Kyuubi, and Naruto's injuries were more than just skin deep, even if the Kyuubi's chakra could knit skin back together her friend was still losing too much blood, she needed to staunch the internal bleeding, she needed to keep him alive until the Kyuubi could fully take over in healing the more serious wounds.
"You will not die on me, Uzumaki Naruto!" Sakura yelled as she pressed more healing chakra into his body, flinching when his burning chakra singed her skin; but the torture was numbing, she wasn't feeling anymore pain, it wasn't her main concern, "You're a fighter! You've pulled through the worst! Don't freaking disappoint me!" Her hands shook, ablaze against the Kyuubi's power, "Don't you dare give up, because you've never given up! Don't start now! You're supposed to be Hokage! You're supposed to be the hero, so come back to me Naruto! Come back!"
Sakura didn't know how long she knelt there; beside Naruto's bleeding – dying – body, pouring her last reserves into him, using her perfect control to send the right amount of healing energy into his system as efficiently as she could. Her body had already numbed of any other feelings, the burning was centered on her hands, her fingers turning raw. The cuts and bruises and broken bones along her form weren't reaching her brain, her mind was only whirling with the undeterred strive to bring her best friend back.
That same thought never ceased, even as she dipped her will and strength into her very own life force, pouring it into the male in front of her.
"This is my destiny…" Sakura whispered as her eyes blinked slowly, the tears still sliding silently down her cheeks, "This was my reason for living. I became a Medical Ninja for this; I had perfect chakra control for this…To save you. Because your destiny is so much greater than mine, what you'll do as Hokage, as a person, is so much greater than what I can do…That's why you have to live, Naruto…That's why your life is worth giving up mine for…" She smiled, feeling her body begin to sag but also feeling the burning begin to lessen also, the red chakra diminishing steadily in its untamed anger and control, "…I'm sorry for being mean to you when we were younger…I'm sorry for a lot of things…" She closed her eyes, her flickering green hands finally touching the cooling flesh of the blonde, "…And I'm sorry I won't live long enough to see you accomplish your dreams…But I know you'll be fine…Because you always pull through…"
"S-Sakura-chan?"
She opened her eyes and her heart lifted when emerald connected with deep, royal blue. Naruto was still tired, his eyes blearily looking at her, confusion creasing his blonde brows before worry washed over his face when he realized the full extent of her injuries.
"Thank Kami…" Sakura whispered, closing her eyes once more and laying her head tiredly against his chest.
"How touching…" A smooth voice drawled; Yamato and Sai stiffened upon Kabuto's unexpected arrival, the silver-headed man staring down at Naruto and Sakura, the blonde still too weak to move as he sat up while the kunoichi had yet to open her eyes again, "…Quite irritating also," His spectacled-gaze stared interestedly at Sakura's still-form, a smirk curving his lips, "I was hoping to capture you today Naruto, but I know when to choose my battles…"
Kabuto's grin widened as he held up a long sword, intent on impaling the weakened figures, when several attacks came at him at once in their defense. Wood stretched from the barrier around Naruto to curl around Kabuto, ink serpents quickly added to the binding, and electricity cackled ominously in the air as one dark form landed beside Kabuto's restrained figure, the electrified attack causing a loud explosion as it connected with the wood and ink chains.
Naruto groaned, making sure his quick movement to protect Sakura from the blast hadn't caused her further pain. He pushed himself up, worriedly staring down at Sakura. She remained unconscious, pink hair haloing her face, her skin pale and so cold when he hesitantly traced her blood-covered cheek; her breaths were too shallow.
"S-Sakura-chan?" He croaked warily, eyes wide, scared.
A figure abruptly crouched down on the other side of Naruto, pale hands reaching out to curl around Sakura's pink locks, fingers sliding against the side of Sakura's cheek before cupping her chin with both hands, mechanically pushing away Naruto's hands in the process. Naruto looked up and felt his heart jerk painfully in his chest upon seeing Sasuke's broken expression; although the Uchiha's face was smoothed of any emotion Naruto could easily read his eyes, dark with fear, panic, and denial.
"Sakura," His husky baritone whispered fiercely; after seconds of no response, Sasuke gently lifted her head higher off the ground, thumbs tracing her blood-stained lips, desperation crawling up his throat "Sakura."
Naruto could feel himself trembling, his female teammate's lack of response causing his body to shake with trepidation and anger and self-deprecation and millions of other emotions that he didn't want to dissect. All he wanted was for Sakura to open her eyes!
"Kakashi is stable," He could hear Sai inform Yamato hurriedly in the distance, "Apparently he used his Sharingan on Kabuto's corpses. I cannot locate Kabuto, the blast covered his escape."
"Send several ink messengers out," Yamato suggested, "Have a few circle the area for nearby teams and medics and have one messenger return to the Hokage. Sakura's condition is fatal, she dug into her life force and if she isn't treated quickly the little life energy left will undoubtedly fade!"
"Sakura, wake up!" Sasuke growled beside him, causing Naruto's gaze to snap back towards his two best friends, fingers continuing to tremble, automatically clenching into his blood-soaked jacket to prevent the tremors.
Twenty-two years old and the two men felt like little boys again. It was their job, their duty, their obligation to do the protecting, to keep Sakura safe, but seeing her so lifeless screamed their utter failure in that personal mission. Naruto could feel tears slide down his cheeks as he blindly reached for Sakura's hand, grasping the appendage, as if trying to anchor her back to them. Sasuke's hands had also shifted, one cradling the back of her head while the other shook her shoulder, as if the new action could help rouse her.
"Damn it, Sakura, wake up!"
"…Sasuke," Naruto whispered, trying to catch the Uchiha's attention, but was ignored.
Another shake and onyx and blue eyes watched as a flash of light caught their notice, jumping from beneath Sakura's collar, the tiny hoop sliding against the chain wrapped around her neck, the jewels decorating the band sparkling against the late-afternoon sun, before its journey stopped just inches from the floor, stopped by the length of the silver necklace.
Sasuke stiffened as he stared at the object and Naruto felt his heart drop to his stomach as he recognized the traditional Uchiha colors that were represented by the two rubies and one shining diamond that made the ring.
An engagement ring…
"Sakura!" Sasuke tried again as he shook her, her head lolling unresponsively, the ring bumping against her shoulder with the movement, "Don't do this to me damn it!"
"Sasuke…"
"Not when I've finally had a chance to be happy!" Sasuke whispered as his forehead fell against her chest, "Not you too. Don't take her away from me! Damn it, Sakura, wake up!"
Naruto felt his throat clog up uncomfortably. Kami, this was his entire fault. If he hadn't been careless and let the Kyuubi take over Sakura would have never resorted to that technique!
"My fault…" Naruto growled softly, fists tightening and blunt nails biting painfully into his sore palms, "…My fault…"
Sasuke looked up from Sakura's pale and motionless body towards the muttering blonde, dark brows furrowing as he noticed that the self-scorn was causing the Kyuubi's power to fluctuate, negating the efforts Sakura had just performed to save his life. Frowning, the Uchiha grasped the front of Naruto's torn shirt and pulled him forward, making sure his Sharingan spinning eyes glared heatedly into dulled blue.
"Shut up Naruto," He snarled – clearly trying to snap the blonde back into awareness, "She saved you, don't contradict her actions and turn her sacrifice into nothing."
"But–" He began brokenly.
"Damn it, Naruto!" Sasuke roared furiously as he shook the man in his tight grip, trying to shake sense into him, "We can't fucking lose it now!" His brows furrowed deeply, "We need to retreat. You and Sakura need medical treatment and Kakashi and I don't have enough strength to keep battling."
A flash of silver light caught Sasuke's attention and in the span of two seconds the Uchiha had pushed Sakura's body into Naruto's grasp, spun on his heels around the blonde so his back was now against the Kyuubi Vessel's back, Kusanagi drawn and staving off the attack Kabuto had meant to run Naruto through. The hooded-man smirked, impressed, while Sasuke glared intensely, wanting to call up his Chidori Nagashi but knowing he couldn't with Naruto and Sakura so close to him.
"Sasuke!" Naruto gasped, surprised, Sakura's frail body clutched in his trembling arms while he looked over his shoulder at the struggling stand-off behind him.
"Go Naruto!" The Uchiha commanded, grunting as he pushed his blade against his opponent's, the sound of weapons shifting against one another echoing loudly in their ears, "Get Sakura out of here! Make sure she doesn't die!"
"What about you?" Naruto cried out, panicked, even when Sai appeared at his side to aid him, Yamato already helping Kakashi off the battlefield, "I can't leave you behind!"
"Do it!" Sasuke snapped angrily, though the desperation was present in his dark eyes as they flickered briefly onto Sakura's still-form, "Do it, Naruto!"
"You will not survive if you take me on alone, Sasuke-kun," Kabuto chuckled darkly, "I've hardly used any chakra and you're close to depletion."
"I don't need chakra to kill you," Sasuke glowered, twisting his face slightly to glare at the three still in his presence, before fiercely sharing a look with Sai, "Get them out of here, Sai! Now!"
Behind Kabuto, three coffins began to rise from the floor, Sasuke grunting as he put his Taijutsu skills to use, using his speed to his advantage to hopefully remove Kabuto's weapon from the equation. Behind the Uchiha he could hear Naruto struggling but he paid them no mind, trusting the dark-haired ANBU to do what he asked of him.
"NO!" Naruto protested as his weakened body prevented him from pushing away Sai, watching as Sasuke crouched low, performed a series of strikes that caused Kabuto to falter, sword flying away from the sparring pair, "Sasuke!"
"She had better live, Naruto," Sasuke muttered, knowing that the blonde's sensitive hearing could catch his soft words; the Uchiha punched Kabuto in the chest, the medic sliding a few meters away, too slow to react as Sasuke released his sword an executed a succession of hand seals that looked too familiar to Naruto, an attack that was used in the most dire of circumstances, "Take care of her…And good luck, Naruto…"
"Sasuke!" Naruto called, his hands wound tightly around Sakura as the ink bird he, the unconscious kunoichi, and Sai were perched on for their escape flew farther away; he looked over his shoulder, staring at Sai's back with anger and distress, "We have to go back, Sai!"
The painter's shoulders sagged, his head shaking, "I cannot. I've disobeyed once already…I cannot…"
Royal blue eyes darted back towards the battlefield as flames briefly erupted to the skies, his heart pounding painfully in his chest as he watched Sasuke raise a hand to the air, the clouds above churning to his wishes, dark eyes flickering towards him, conveying the seriousness of the quick turn of events, before the Uchiha turned away and kept his attention solely focused on Kabuto, "Sasuke!"
As three bodies emerge from the coffins, Sasuke ran forward, lightning shooting down from the heavens to connect with his outstretched hand, a pained cry echoing in the valley, as the blue-white light flashed tremendously, surging from his palm and into Kabuto's stunned body, when the attack struck a huge explosion followed, the two shinobi and three corpses disappearing in a bright radiance and the dust of the tremendous impact.
Naruto's heart dropped. Sai's ink bird flew them further away. Silence ensued.
Haruno Sakura stopped breathing.
Five years.
Naruto sighed softly as he gazed upon the black Memorial Stone, marked with the many names of shinobi and kunoichi who had honorably given their lives for the sake of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Royal blue eyes were misting with far-off memories as his tanned hand reached out to touch the sun-warmed monument. With hesitant fingers he traced two different lines, two different names that belonged to two people who held special places in his life, names that he always carried in good memory and heavy heart.
"Sasuke…" He whispered as the wind picked up in the quiet, empty clearing, "…Sakura-chan."
'They gave their lives for me…' He thought sadly, snatching his hands back, remembering that day so vividly in his chaotic mind, 'They gave their lives…So I can live my dreams…'
"Hokage-sama," A smooth, masculine voice acknowledged.
Naruto turned away from the Memorial Stone, blue eyes looking up from under the rim of his hat as they connected with deep black. He was crouched meters away from the blonde, a clay mask hung on his belt, dressed in the gear of ANBU.
Naruto offered a half-hearted grin, "I thought I told you to refer to me by my name, Sai."
"Apologies," Sai responded before he stood, his face a mask of complete seriousness.
"What's the matter?" Naruto asked, frown morphing on his features.
"Breach in our perimeter," Sai answered, walking towards him and removing his ANBU-issue tantō, "I am to escort you safely back to the Village."
Another shift in the wind and Naruto's frown deepened, head turning towards the edge of the clearing, Sai already stepping in front of the Kage with the intent to protect, "Too late."
"It's been too long, Naruto-kun," An even voice greeted serenely, a shadowed figure emerging from the brush, "And you've become Hokage, I suppose Congratulations are in order."
"Who are you?" Naruto called out strongly, brows pinching together as he removed his Kage hat and placed it reverently on the Stone, "What do you want?"
A chuckle – too familiar for Naruto's liking – as a glare of light flashed with the lifting of the newcomer's head, "…Oh Naruto-kun, you know exactly who I am…And I want to finish what I had been unable to do five years ago…"
"…Kabuto…" Sai whispered in disbelief as he further studied the man across the clearing, Naruto's eyes wide with denial and growing anger. Kabuto's face was almost beyond recognition, burned and raw with age-old injuries – lightning injuries. His glasses were still present, eyes still shaped similarly to that of Orochimaru, but he carried himself a little more weakly than their last meeting, slower in step, sluggish even.
He wasn't to be underestimated though, if he had been able to get past Konoha's defenses.
"You're supposed to be dead!" Naruto snarled with rage, remembering Sasuke's and Sakura's sacrifices, not wanting to believe that they had been in vain.
"Did you find my body five years ago?" Kabuto asked with a mocking grin.
Naruto growled. No, they hadn't. Everyone assumed he had been fried to a crisp…Like Sasuke had been…
Naruto shook his head, dispelling the memory. Instead, he glared full-force at the medic, hand clenching into a tight fist.
"You die today," The blonde promised as he crouched into an aggressive stance, Sai by his side, silently ready to offer his Leader aid and protection.
Kabuto grinned, "So quick to get things started, Naruto-kun? Don't you want to see your friends?"
Blue eyes flashed; how dare he try to defile their memories by bringing their names up. Any mention of them falling from Kabuto's lips was a tainting of their remembrance.
"Shut up!"
"I'm sure they would love to see you, Naruto-kun," Kabuto continued, grinning maniacally as his hands rapidly performed hand seals, faster than Naruto thought possible for the medic to execute.
"Edo Tensei!"
Naruto cursed as both he and Sai leapt into action, two coffins appearing from the ground behind Kabuto, the terrain quaking with the stone caskets' emergences. The blonde was quick to call upon multiple shadow clones and Sai had quickly created ink creatures that lunged for the silver-headed male, only to be thwarted by summoned serpents shooting out from the medic's billowing sleeves.
Kabuto laughed, amusement lighting his eyes as he heard one of the casket's coverings begin to fall open, "Emerge…"
Naruto watched with wide eyes as the covering fell loudly to the floor, his heart squeezing painfully in his chest as Kabuto finished his hysterical command, "…Uchiha Sasuke!"
Sasuke's vision was blinded by the sudden intrusion of sunlight. Unconsciously he felt his feet step forward, landing against soft grass, stepping over stone, before he halted. Vaguely, he could hear a choked cry meters away from him but his mind was working slower than he remembered it ever working. In fact, Sasuke felt quite odd, his limbs were heavy with disuse, his body was cold yet strangely hot with energy, he could feel his clothes shifting with the wind but his skin did not feel the similarity. The Uchiha felt tired, completely exhausted that he wanted to sit down and sleep but his body would not obey him, he continued to stand, unwilling and becoming aggravated and utterly confused by the strange sensations filling him.
"S-Sasuke?"
The Uchiha didn't understand why his eyes had remained closed after being blinded by the sun's rays but he recognized that voice, soft in its uncertainty, timid in its incredulity. Forcing his eyelids open, Sasuke's onyx orbs adjusted to the day, stoically connecting gazes with Naruto, still perplexed, the feeling only increasing with Naruto's expression.
Naruto looked older, in fact.
"…Naruto," Sasuke greeted apathetically, noticing Sai also by his side, his dark eyes also wide which further irritated the Uchiha. For the life of him, he couldn't remember what had been going on before he woke up. At the absent thought, Sasuke felt a jolt travel through his right arm, but it was gone before he could fully analyze it.
Blue eyes flickered to the left of Sasuke, glare directed at something the Uchiha couldn't turn to find out what was there, "You fucking bastard! Leave him out of this!"
A sinister chuckle echoed and if Sasuke could tense, he would have, "I would have thought that you'd be happy for this surprise, Naruto-kun."
Naruto's gaze switched back to Sasuke, his expression torn. After five years he was so happy to see Sasuke, his best friend, standing before him, staring at him in aloofness as he had done so many times before. But the circumstances were so wrong! Naruto would have been fine to wait until death took him too and then he would see Sasuke again; he didn't want to see him in graying flesh with the sole purpose to fight under Kabuto's command. Briefly, Naruto's glance flickered towards the other unopened coffin, fearing who would step through at Kabuto's control.
"Sasuke-kun," The Uchiha felt his head turn to acknowledge the voice that had called for him; when he saw Kabuto his dark eyes narrowed with hatred, mind whirring with flashes of memories that he was having trouble putting together. Kabuto only grinned at him, scarred face shifting disgustingly with the expression, "Ignorant are you?"
"What's going on?" Sasuke questioned angrily, glad that he was able to turn his head back towards Naruto, even if he was starting to hate that his body wasn't under his complete control.
The blonde stepped forward, hesitant, biting his lower lip, "…Sasuke. Y-You're supposed to be dead…You've been dead for five years."
"You've been resurrected by the Edo Tensei Technique," Sai finished.
Sasuke's jaw clenched. So he was dead. A part of him wasn't surprised. Shinobi died every day. But something was off; something didn't feel right to him. He was familiar with the Edo Tensei Technique exercised many times by Orochimaru when he had been under his tutelage. Any moment Kabuto would order him to attack Naruto and Sai and no matter how much he resisted Sasuke would not be able to prevent his body from following through.
"Don't hold back then," Sasuke stated as he felt his arm unwillingly remove from his belt the Kusanagi katana he was so keen on using in life, "I know you can beat this shit," Sasuke continued, clearly referring to Kabuto, "Don't disappoint me. I'd rather rest in peace."
Naruto stared at him, still having trouble comprehending the situation, not wanting to resort to battling a corpse containing his best friend's soul, "…R-Right."
Sasuke lunged, Sai already flickering in front of Naruto and blocking off the Kusanagi with his tantō. Dark eyes connected and Sai could tell that Sasuke did not like the fact that he was fighting two former comrades based on the deep furrow of his brows. Unfortunately, the Uchiha still retained his elemental techniques, the electrical currents of his Chidori morphing with his sword and cutting through Sai's weapon.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, mouth already opening in warning, "Move, Sai."
The ANBU was quick to react, rolling out of the way of the katana's follow-through, only to be backed-up by Naruto, the blonde aiming a Rasengan at the opening of Sasuke's swing. The attack connected against Sasuke's side, tearing clothes and cold-grey flesh, the man stoically jumping away, staring down at his wound in wonder and irritation as the skin began to knit back together, Kabuto's delighted laughter filling the clearing.
Sasuke watched Sai and Naruto regroup. It was strange that he hadn't felt the repercussions of the Rasengan as it connected with his body but he reminded himself that the only thing that was him was his soul. He could feel no pain, hardly any emotions other than regret and frustration for his actions, and he felt no beating heart. Obsidian eyes examined Naruto, apparently planning to attack Kabuto, feeling that defeating the medic would be the only way to set him free.
"Hurry up, dead-last," A part of Sasuke wanting to push the blonde into irritation to earn better results, the Uchiha frowned as he scanned the clearing, hoping he wouldn't encounter any pink and green; he wouldn't want Sakura to see him like this when she inevitably arrived to help Naruto.
"I'm working on it!" Naruto growled as he jumped into action, Sai drawing up lions and snakes to distract Sasuke while the Hokage focused on the silver-headed Medic.
"Tsk, tsk," Kabuto frowned disappointedly, "I give you back your best friend Naruto-kun and you're focusing on me?"
"You're the one who fucking killed him!" Naruto snarled angrily.
"He killed himself," Kabuto corrected lightly as he used his summoned serpents and chakra scalpels as protection from the raging blonde, "The Jutsu he used was never reliable."
"Reliable or not it still saved my life," Naruto defended, flipping over a snake and beheading it with a kunai, "And you're weaker than last time, I can tell."
Kabuto's brows furrowed, the first sign of anger filling his expression, hands coming together, "Your words mean nothing to me. Your efforts are useless. You forget I have another weapon up my sleeve!"
Blue eyes fearfully darted towards the still-closed coffin meters away.
On the other side of the clearing, Sasuke was moving reluctantly in aggressive offense against Sai, his blade searing against the painter's skin in shallow cuts. Because his body moved on its own accord his mind was able to wander and was placing its attention on Kabuto's and Naruto's conversation. Each toss of heated comments initiated flashes of memories of his past moments until pieces began to fit together and the Uchiha Prodigy had finally realized his cause of death, the final lightning attack he had performed to save his comrades' lives.
His chest squeezed with the remembered fear of Sakura's lifeless body in his arms, her ring glinting in the sun's setting. He wondered how she was doing. He wondered if she had moved on. He wondered if she still loved him. He wondered if she still had the engagement ring he had clumsily fit onto her finger three months before his death.
Suddenly, Sasuke glared at Sai, surprising the ANBU with the fierce intensity swirling in those onyx depths, "…Fucking kill me before Sakura gets here."
He didn't want her to see him like this. He didn't want to see her tears. He didn't want to have to see what he could have had. He didn't want to see what could have been. He didn't want to see what he missed out on.
Sai faltered, his eyes wide, brief expressions passing over his dark eyes, too fast for Sasuke to scrutinize. The painter's waver inadvertently caused the Kusanagi to slice along his shoulder, the male grunting in pain before jumping a safe distance away. Sasuke watched Sai, wondering about the display of carelessness, frowning when Sai stared at him with an expression – solemn, pitying – that caused rising doubts to fill the Uchiha.
"Damn it!" Naruto yelled frantically, two pairs of eyes sliding towards the other two occupants of the clearing to see Naruto bound by snakes and Kabuto swiftly performing hand signs, "Don't do it! Damn you, Kabuto! Leave her alone!"
Sasuke's brow quirked, 'Her…?'
"Emerge…" Kabuto shouted with fanatical glee, eyes wide and wild, "…Haruno Sakura!"
For a corpse without a heart, Sasuke swore he could feel it break in his reanimated chest.
Sakura sighed, hearing the sounds of stone sliding against each other before something heavy fell to the floor and caused a resounding boom and the ground to quake. Through her closed lids she could still tell that light was filtering into her obstructed vision, but her brows furrowed with confusion with the lacking heat touching her skin from what she knew was sunlight. She could feel the wind through her hair, could hear far-away birds singing, and could faintly smell soil and dirt. Unfortunately, her senses were dulled. Her skin felt unnatural to her and her frown deepened when her legs moved of their own accord, stepping out of hard stone onto grass.
It was strange. Sakura couldn't recall where she was and what she had been doing beforehand. Her fingers were tingling with memory but her mind wasn't following. Another step and a wave of sadness washed over the kunoichi. Something wasn't right. Her jaw clenched and her fingers tightened as she listened and racked her sluggish brain for answers. Was she on a mission?
"S-Sakura-chan…" A broken sob interrupted her concentration; her frown deepened, recognizing the voice, not liking the solemnity and pain laced with the utterance of her name.
Emerald eyes opened just as an outraged 'get away from her, bastard' echoed. Surprised, Sakura found herself looking straight into sinister, yellow orbs, a white grin, tongue slithering out hungrily, and skin red-raw with scarred injuries. Seeing him before her, Sakura wanted to take an instinctive step back but couldn't, an uncertainty and blunted fear filling her yet self-preservation wasn't cooperating. Her body wasn't her own.
"Kabuto…" Sakura whispered, intellectual mind already fighting to bring back her past and make sense of things – when her memories connected, when the last thing she recalled was falling asleep with the image of Naruto's tired, blue eyes staring at her, Sakura knew what was wrong, "…You monster."
"Smart girl," Kabuto remarked with a grin, one hand coming forward to caress her cheek and hold her chin; if she could have flinched away, she would have, following with a punch to his deformed face.
"…So I'm dead," Sakura whispered, eyes hardening, "And you've brought me back with Edo Tensei," She frowned defiantly, "Even if you have control over me, Naruto will still defeat you. My power doesn't compare to his."
"You underestimate yourself, Sakura-chan," Kabuto laughed, "You have more power over him than you know. I agree that it won't be easy – five more years of experience and current Hokage, Naruto is an admirable opponent, but he loves you too much to really fight you."
Sakura smiled. So it had been five years since she died. Naruto achieved his dream to be Hokage. Pride swelled within her and a part of her was a little selfishly happy to be able to witness his accomplishment, even if just for a short time.
"You and I both know that this isn't me," Sakura countered, "This body isn't mine. He can do whatever he wants with it as long as he knows that by destroying it he can set my soul free. You cannot defeat him, Kabuto, you never will."
Kabuto waved away the faith she had for the blonde with his hand, "Defeated or not I was able to bring him pain…" He grinned once more, dark and menacing, "I gave him the chance to see those he loved; I gave him the chance to suffer this little reunion."
Sakura scoffed, "You're more stupid than I initially thought."
Kabuto's eyes narrowed, looking down at the woman with disdain, "…I command you to kill Uzumaki Naruto."
The silver-headed medic stepped away and emerald and royal blue connected. For what seemed like ages the two stared at each other – plenty of emotions passing between them. Naruto could feel the same emotions he felt with Sasuke's resurrection – pain, sorrow, apology, and a little selfish happiness at seeing his female best friend standing before him. Sakura was reluctant as she felt her body step forward in preparation to attack, but she offered the blonde a small smile, unable to contain her pride in him, impressed that five years had done him good – looking older, wiser, and stronger. Her irises swam with sadness to have not witnessed his journey but challenge that he do what he needed to do, even if it meant bringing her harm.
"Please don't go easy on me Naruto-baka," Sakura whispered as she involuntarily felt chakra pour into her tight fists, "My time in this world is done, as it should stay."
"I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan," Naruto whispered, head bowing, not even struggling to get out of the hold of the binding serpents.
"This isn't your fault, Naruto," Sakura assured, "Prepare for battle."
"But–" Naruto started.
"Please," Sakura interrupted softly, causing him to return her gaze, "Release me from this Jutsu. I wouldn't wish this on anyone…So please don't keep this on me…"
Slowly Naruto nodded, the serpents disintegrating to reveal a Rasengan forming in his hand. Sakura eyed the technique thoughtfully, absently wondering what it was like to be on the receiving end of such an attack, but pushing it to the back of her mind as her body pounced on the offensive.
"Also know, Naruto," Sakura whispered as Naruto dodged her attack, grasping her dangerous arm, her mouth just meters from his left ear, "That I know how and why I died…So don't blame yourself for what happened. Got it?"
"Sakura-chan…" Blue eyes moistening with tears.
"Got it?" Sakura repeated firmly, reinforced by the punch her arm threw into Naruto's side.
Reluctantly Naruto nodded his head, earning a triumphant smirk from the reanimated kunoichi, "…Got it."
"Good."
"Enough talk," Kabuto voiced impatiently, "Kill him already!"
Sakura felt her limbs jerk in preparation to deal solid blows to Naruto's chest and no matter how much she struggled to prevent the actions she helplessly watched as the blonde took the hits, grunting in pain from a few broken ribs before jumping a safe distance away and calling forth more shadow clones. As her body rushed forward, Sakura was mindful of its movements, feeling the chakra begin to flow towards her shins and feet, emerald eyes narrowing in calculation.
"I'm about to kick you, Naruto," Sakura warned, feeling her hips shift in preparation, "Be careful."
"How am I supposed to free you, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked anxiously as he evaded the strike, "Any attacks I land won't affect you; you'll just be put back together! I know the Sandaime used something, I just can't remember–"
"You cannot use the same technique the Sandaime did, Naruto," Sakura interrupted warningly, her eyes narrowed even further as she dodged a chain of attacks from the clones, "Doing so would meet the same fate he did – death, trapped in another universe in a continuous fight. I refuse to have you die for a corpse that isn't mine."
"Then what?" Naruto pleaded, his emotional state putting him a little off his game, stumbling forward in a poor judgment of distance and speed, missing Sakura by inches, "What do I do?"
"Kill the controller," Sakura answered, knowing that Naruto would have come up with the solution if he was in his right mind; the weight of fighting a former teammate was affecting him greatly, "Kill Kabuto. Without him and his chakra I will cease to exist. The only reason Sandaime-sama hadn't done the same was because he had not been powerful enough to kill Orochimaru. You can beat Kabuto, Naruto. I know you can. Dead or not, I still believe in you."
As much as Sakura wanted the last statement to make Naruto feel better, to have him know that her soul was still rooting for him, Sakura could see that her blonde best friend was still reeling, only managing to nod his head in acceptance and agreement. His royal blue eyes were filled with so much despair that if Sakura had the ability to cry, she would be.
"Naruto can't kill me," Kabuto laughed, clearly having heard the entire conversation and plan, "He's too weighed down by this gathering. Your appearances have sapped him of his full strength."
'Appearances?' Sakura thought in confusion, 'More than one…?'
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"
Although the body was not hers, the sound of his voice made an invisible organ in her chest squeeze. Her brows pinched in sadness, remembering that in her last moments she had not been by Sasuke's side, had not shared any last words with him, and had not witnessed one last image to take with her in death. As her and Naruto's bodies automatically leapt away from the flaming inferno that was directed at them her mind questioned how the Uchiha had fared in the five years since her death, if he had moved on, if he was bitter for her decision, and how he felt seeing her as she was now.
She didn't know if she could face him.
Instead, the squeezing in her chest tightened tenfold when a silhouette too similar to Sasuke's took a stand beside her, instead of beside Naruto. In fact, the only figure that had occupied Naruto's side was Sai – Sai who looked older and yet the same, wounded at the shoulder, and easily expressing emotions she thought she would never witness.
"…You are dead…" Sasuke acknowledged softly, his voice still deep and smooth.
For once, Sakura was glad she didn't have control over her body, she was glad that she was barred the chance to gaze upon the man she loved because, "…Sasuke-kun…You're dead too…?"
"Aa…" His answer was almost hesitant, his tone conveying the anger and sadness of the current situation they were both in.
"How?" Sakura whispered – yes, she would be crying now if she was given that luxury.
"…A last attempt to save you, Naruto, and Sai," He responded, arm rising to point the Kusanagi at their opponents across the clearing, "I told you to save her, dobe. Why is she dead?"
Emerald watched as Naruto stiffened upon the accusing question. His expression was crumbling into sadness and self-criticism and the reanimated kunoichi frowned upon seeing his despair. Naruto had probably lived with those same questions and more in the past five years and Sasuke wasn't helping with the allegations.
"I-I tried," Naruto stated brokenly, "We took her to the Hospital and t-tried everything, but…"
"…But I didn't make it," Sakura finished for him. She was not angry and she knew that not all lives could be saved. She wasn't invincible and the technique she had used to save Naruto had consequences she had been willing to risk.
"You weren't supposed to die," Sasuke retorted, Sakura feeling his gaze locked on her, but she still could not move of her own accord, she couldn't meet his steady stare.
"They tried Sasuke-kun…" She reasoned, "Don't blame Naruto."
"But you're dead," The Uchiha growled, upset that she wasn't seeing what he was. Sakura wasn't supposed to die that day!
"…So are you, Sasuke-kun…" Sakura answered sadly, the knowledge that he hadn't continued life now beginning to bother her; yet she inwardly shook those thoughts away, believing not to dwell on the past; that time had come and gone already, now was what they needed to worry about, "…Everyone dies eventually. Five years ago was my time…" She breathed in deeply, "Our time…Now, Naruto needs our help."
Yet despite their desire to lend aid, Sasuke and Sakura attacked as the problem, Kusanagi flashing in the afternoon light, ground breaking apart under Sakura's powerful blows. Sai and Naruto were in their own internal struggle, their will to fight fractioned by the mere identity of their opponents. They remained on the defensive, dodging fatal hits and in reluctance to counter. Although the Edo Tensei was a powerful technique, Sasuke and Sakura still resisted under its hold, trying to gain use of their own reanimated limbs, if only to give some advantage to their former comrades.
"Keep it together, Naruto," Sakura grunted, a hint of irritation reminiscent of their past laced in her statement, "You're the Hokage, corpses shouldn't be handing your ass to you! Freaking show us what you got!"
Her words triggered something in Naruto. Maybe it was the way she said it. Maybe it was the simple mention of his status as Kage. Or maybe it was the way her eyes were filled with internal pain making him want to bring her the peace she deserved in death. Whatever the reason, Naruto felt a surge of power and motivation course through his veins, taking the offensive, trusting Sai to fall into flawless coordination with him after over a decade of combined teamwork and strong friendship. He pushed back the irony of two Team Kakashi comrades pitted against the other two, instead allowing his unpredictable mind come up with a solution to save his best friends from the chains that unwillingly held them to the living world.
Kabuto stood motionless at the edge of the clearing, away from the fray of battle, a smirk gracing his scarred features. Naruto was quick to call up more shadow clones, using them as a distraction for Sasuke and Sakura while Sai painted snakes and lions to his bidding. The onslaught of clones and ink creatures caught the couple off guard but their skills were formidable, quickly dispelling them into useless ink and puffs of white smoke with well-aimed punches and refined-arcs of a Chidori-charged blade.
Because of Sasuke's and Sakura's retained skills Naruto knew that he had to work quickly. So with the unpredictability he was known for Naruto began to dispatch his chakra towards several clones, making it harder for Sasuke and Sakura to discern the real one from the fakes, and had several begin to create Rasengan in their outstretched palms. With a determined furrow of his brows Naruto had half of his clones charge for Sasuke and Sakura while the other half went for Kabuto. As expected, his reanimated friends made quick work of his doppelgangers and Kabuto – still smiling his sinister grin – was also cutting through his clones with ease, a long sword equipped in his right hand. Kabuto was his main target so Naruto pushed forward, ten of his clones outstretching Rasengan towards the medic only to be destroyed in a wide arc of steel.
"Is that all you've got?" Kabuto mocked gleefully.
"It's not over yet!" A cry echoed behind him, Kabuto spun around, tripping over the ink snake that had stealthily slithered around his ankles, the medic righting himself just in time to stab Naruto in the chest, Rasengan flickering out of existence.
"Too slow, Naruto-kun!" Kabuto laughed.
"Over here!"
Kabuto turned around as the Naruto upon his blade puffed into white smoke, his eyes widening as Naruto descended upon him from the air, hand outstretched with the swirling mass of his favorite technique. With the snake still bound tightly around his ankles, Kabuto knew he would be too slow to turn back around to block the attack with his blade or to use snake summons as a defense. Instead, the medic narrowed his eyes, knowing the admirable speed of one of his weapons.
"Sasuke, kill him!"
Royal blue eyes widened fractionally, but being midair, he had no way of dodging any blows that came his way. Determinedly, the blonde pushed forward, awaiting the inevitable blow that would be dealt by this best friend but knowing he wouldn't go down without taking Kabuto with him.
Everything moved in slow motion. Naruto kept his gaze focused solely on Kabuto's yellow eyes, arm stretching out to hit its mark faster. A quick shift in the wind behind him announced Sasuke's arrival and without warning, Naruto could see the blade protrude from his stomach just as his feet touched ground. The Rasengan flickered but remained intact, Kabuto grinning just a foot away from him, still unharmed.
"Dobe," Sasuke growled angrily, and Naruto would have smirked had the Uchiha been alive, because he could have sworn he heard fear laced with his cutting tone also.
Naruto shifted his head, blue irises connecting with black, "I'm not dead Sasuke, aren't you supposed to follow commands and kill me?"
Sasuke's brows furrowed with confusion, feeling his body respond to the taunt, pushing his blade deeper into the blonde's back. Vaguely, he heard a gasp on the other side of the clearing and the sound of a paintbrush hitting paper.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Sasuke snarled, trying his hardest to control his body and yank his weapon out.
Naruto laughed, turning away from Sasuke to stare directly into Kabuto's amused eyes, "…I'm letting you finish what you started five years ago, Sasuke-teme."
And as Sasuke's sword dug deeper into Naruto's back, the blonde Hokage shared Kabuto's smirk with a feral grin of his own before disappearing in a puff of white smoke. Surprised, Sasuke couldn't control his momentum, his hand plunging forward with the absence of Naruto's solid body before connecting sickeningly into Kabuto's chest, the medic's eyes wide with stunned stupor as the blade sank deeper into his flesh.
As Sasuke looked down at Kabuto, watching as blood began to freely leave the gaping wound, the Uchiha smirked triumphantly as Naruto's words echoed in his head. He allowed him his retribution. He allowed him the chance to finish things as he had wanted the first time it had come to pass.
"Die, Yakushi," He whispered condemningly.
"Kill Naruto," Kabuto gasped; his eyes wide.
But to Sasuke's amazement, feeling and control began to return to his corpse, all his own, and he watched with satisfaction as his Kusanagi remained imbedded in Kabuto's body. The medic was still trying to remain grasped on his control but the Uchiha was finding it easier to defy him with every trickle of blood that left the silver-headed man's dying body.
"Not a chance," Sasuke answered, digging the blade deeper when the man tried to use his medical techniques to heal himself.
"…It's our time now, Kabuto," Sakura's voice intoned, her form stepping up beside Sasuke before she knelt down with glowing green fingers, swiftly hitting chakra points and nerves that paralyzed the stunned criminal; she smiled, "We'll kill you when we're ready to leave…Give us a few minutes."
Without waiting for an answer, hearing only garbled groans in Kabuto's loss of use of his tongue and mouth; Sasuke and Sakura were willingly able to turn away from their villainous summoner. The Uchiha sheathed his sword, only to be replaced by Sakura's cool hand, her leather gloves discarded, desiring his simple touch, even if their skin was not their own.
Naruto and Sai moved towards them, a little wary, solemn, but happy that their struggle was over and that their friends were no longer bound by dark chains. The blonde Hokage was hesitant in his steps towards them, gazing upon the grey flesh of his comrades, the lack-luster of their hair, the dimmed brightness of life in their eyes. But their small smiles and smirks reassured him, caused him to grin in return, ignoring his broken ribs in favor of hugging the reanimated Haruno Sakura and clapping the back of the reanimated Uchiha Sasuke. Their skin was cold to the touch, they smelt of dirt and soil, he was afraid any contact would cause them to crumble into pieces, but when they spoke to him; familiar snide remarks from Sasuke and lilting, beautiful laugh from Sakura, Naruto knew that this was the second chance he had been waiting for, to see his best friends, to ask for their forgiveness…
Kabuto may have had evil intentions, but maybe this was a blessing in disguise.
"I'm proud of you, Naruto," Sakura stated as she touched his cheek, but she didn't keep the contact long, she wouldn't want him to remember cold fingers, "You've done good. The Hidden Leaf is in good hands."
"Thanks Sakura-chan…" He responded, almost shyly, a blush she always had a way of flushing out beginning to form on his cheeks.
The kunoichi smiled fondly, lovingly, as her hands glowed green and effortlessly waved against Sai's and Naruto's wounds, closing up lacerations and healing broken ribs in mere seconds, "Continue to fight strong, okay? I love you both," She turned to Sai and grinned, "And I'm proud of you too. I'm glad you've opened up these past five years. Take care of each other…And Kaka-sensei and Yama-taicho too."
"Of course," Sai nodded; a genuine smile in place.
Sasuke stepped forward, one hand grasping Naruto's shoulder meaningfully, his dark eyes meeting both royal blue and onyx, "…Thank you. For everything in life and for setting us free…" He smirked, "You both have done well."
"Thanks, teme," Naruto sniffed, Sai nodding once again.
"Be good," Sakura grinned as she grasped a hand in each of hers, squeezing them before offering quick, cool kisses to their cheeks, "And we'll see you again. Promise."
Naruto grasped her hand tightly before she could pull away, "D-Do you forgive me? Because I'm sorry; I'm so sorry for what happened! I just–"
The man was interrupted by a cool touch of skin against his cheek, fingers deftly wiping away the tears that escaped his clenched eyes, "Oh Naruto. You did nothing wrong, I never blamed you. We never blamed you," Her eyes connected with Sasuke's and he nodded his agreement, "So long as you're happy, we're happy too. I guess, all that we ask of you is that you live, a full and bright life, okay?"
Naruto nodded, "Okay…I-I promise."
"None of you are at fault," Sakura emphasized, shooting a glance at Sai. He was less obvious than Naruto, but a burden stood on his shoulders also. She assumed he felt regret for not taking her away from the battlefield the first time, regret for leaving Sasuke behind, she didn't want to leave with Sai feeling that way, "…Understand? We made those choices…There was nothing you could have done."
After several moments, both Naruto and Sai nodded their heads in acceptance.
"Good," She grinned happily; her smile dimmed with the knowledge of her next actions, squeezing his fingers one last time before letting go, "…Good-bye you two. Remember I'll always love you…"
Naruto and Sai nodded, watching as Sakura turned away, back towards Kabuto's unmoving body. Sasuke shifted to follow but Naruto stopped him, grasping his arm and digging into his pocket with his free hand. Confused, Sasuke watched Naruto place something hard and cool onto his palm, a flash of white and red seen before being closed over and covered by multiple fingers.
"Rest in peace, Sasuke," Naruto whispered, smiling as he released his arm.
Sasuke smirked, tightening his hold on the newly acquired object, "We will. Thank you."
And Naruto watched as Sasuke walked away, joining Sakura whose hands were bordered in green, clearly ready to use a medical technique that would end Kabuto's life for good. It was a quick process, Sakura kneeling beside the still-medic, hovering her hands over his head for several moments, chakra seeping into his brain. When she was finished, a content smile graced her features and she stood and walked towards Sasuke, taking both of his hands in hers and looking up at him with the love she exhibited so many times in life. For a moment, the couple seemed to glow with life, and Naruto stored away the beautiful image into his memory, another to keep and cherish.
The wind shifted and two more figures appeared in the clearing, out of breath and alert for danger. Naruto didn't acknowledge them, he knew who they were; it was fate and fitting that they witness this moment too.
"Hokage-sama," Yamato questioned as he stepped up beside Sai, faltering when his gaze landed on the couple across the clearing.
"Naruto, what's going on?" Kakashi asked in bewildered wonder, staring at his former students, glowing in their loose embrace; the Copy-Ninja sucked in a breath when onyx and emerald irises locked with his mismatched eyes, his heart clenching achingly in his chest when Sakura smiled and Sasuke smirked, a wave from the kunoichi and a nod from the Uchiha.
"Kabuto came," Naruto answered, never taking his eyes off his best friends, "He wanted to cause me suffering…But he granted me a gift instead…He granted us all a gift instead…"
This reanimated reunion wasn't just for Naruto. It was also closure for Sasuke and Sakura. Both of them had not known in their final moments that the one they loved had died as well. Instead of entering death with the misguided notion that the other was saved, the two would be able to rest in peace together, not alone wondering about the what ifs and could have beens but walking hand-in-hand towards the next life, continuing to share their love, finding closure where they couldn't five years prior.
Sakura turned away from the gaping Kakashi and Yamato with a small chuckle, instead wishing her final moments in this world would be the image of Uchiha Sasuke, the man she loves, something she didn't have in her initial passing. Even if the physical appearances were not as she remembered: no pale skin but grey flesh, no bottomless eyes but dulled obsidian, and no warm hold but cold touch, Sakura still wouldn't have it any other way. She was still weighed with the sadness that he was dead, the he had not lived past she did, that he had not found happiness even if it could have been with another woman, but at least in death this time around, they had each other.
Sasuke softly echoed her thoughts, brushing his thumb over her cheek, already feeling the chakra from Kabuto steadily begin to wane, "…You shouldn't be dead, Sakura. You had so much to live for."
Sakura smiled, still sad but also reassuring, "You shouldn't be dead either, Sasuke-kun. You had a lot to live for too…But at least we didn't die in vain…We saved Naruto and Sai. I think that counts for a lot."
They were silent for several moments. A part of their minds were still trying to comprehend that they were both gone from the living world and were still beginning to accept that things were truly different.
"Besides…" Sakura whispered gently, "Even if I had lived, I would have died knowing that you were gone from this world…I couldn't have carried that knowledge…"
"You would have eventually moved on…" Sasuke reasoned.
Sakura shook her head, "No Sasuke-kun…I wouldn't have. Only you, it has always been you," The confession caused a mixture of feelings in Sasuke – surprise, affection, love, "…Besides. We have this; we have now. This is our closure. We didn't get to see each other when we died. Fate gave us this second chance to help Naruto and Sai move on with our forgiveness; and to be Team Kakashi for a little while longer. Fate gave us the chance to rest in peace together and for me to tell you 'I love you' when I couldn't before…"
She smiled, looking up into his eyes that seemed more sparked with life than before, "So, I love you Uchiha Sasuke-kun, forever and always."
Sasuke allowed a smile to spread across his smooth expression, staring into emerald eyes that always flowed with a love he was grateful to receive, his hands around her tightened, leaning in close, lips brushing against her own, "Aa…I love you too, Sakura."
Sakura grinned as her lips touched his, his lips feeling warmer – his entire body feeling warmer – than before. A chaste kiss: short, simple, sweet yet still conveying all the love they held for each other. When she opened her eyes she could see that his graying flesh was gaining color, his eyes were filled with life, and she felt his large hands grasp her delicate ones gently, before slipping something onto her left, ring finger.
"…Let's rest in peace together," Sasuke murmured as he kissed her forehead while she looked down at the shining red rubies and white diamond engagement ring, holding a promise far more intimate and meaningful than what it held five years prior.
She looked back up at him, curling her arms around his neck and kissing him a final time, passionate and sensual, pulling away only centimeters before responding in a breathless voice of her own, "…Together."
Naruto watched the ring slip on her finger, watched the final kiss between his two best friends, watched them glow with life like they had when they first started dating at sixteen years old, watched as they turned back to him with grateful smiles before they disappeared in radiant glow that filled the entire clearing, leaving Sai, Yamato, Kakashi, and him to close their eyes against the brightness, opening them again several seconds later to see his two best friends gone.
He ignored Kabuto's body, noticed the two stone caskets had also disappeared, and felt Kakashi step up beside him, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. Naruto didn't meet his eyes, instead looking at the ground, thinking about the past hour, thinking about that day five years ago, holding back tears, smiling weakly in bittersweet happiness for his childhood teammates.
"It's good to see them at peace and together…As it should be," Kakashi offered kindly, "We wouldn't want it any other way."
"Yeah…" Naruto agreed, walking towards the Memorial Stone and tracing their names respectfully, fondly, "I'm glad. They deserve that much," He picked up his Kage hat and placed it on his blonde-spiked head, grinning happily, a joy blooming in his chest as a heavy weight lifted from his heart after a blessed reunion with his comrades – his best friends, "And I won't take the life they gave me for granted. I'm going to live long and strong," He promised passionately, "For them. Believe it!"
Kakashi grinned. Yamato nodded. Sai smiled.
Haruno Sakura's and Uchiha Sasuke's sacrifices would indeed not be in vain, especially when in the hands of Uzumaki Naruto, who loved them more than life itself, just as they loved him more than their own lives.
Team Seven, although tragic, were bonded in an admirably close way. They were legendary in strength and power and skill; but most importantly, they were legendary in their love.
"Any regrets?"
"No regrets, Sasuke-kun."
"None at all?"
"Hm…I regret leaving Naruto alone…"
"He's not alone. He has Sai, Kakashi, Yamato, and the Village."
"You're right."
"…Any other regrets?"
"…Not marrying you sooner, Sasuke-kun…"
"…Aa…"
"…And not having a large family…Like we wanted…"
"I had you, Sakura. You are more than enough. You filled my life with constant happiness – and annoyances – and I'm grateful for that…"
"…Maybe in the next life, Sasuke-kun…I'm just glad we got out closure…Even if by reanimated means…"
"…Aa…"
"…And Sasuke-kun?"
"Hn?"
"I love you."
"Aa. I know. I love you too."
A/N: So, a One-Shot! Hope you liked! I really wanted to try something where Members of Team Seven are REANIMATED, especially after that episode where the First and Second Hokages were reluctantly battling the Third Hokage and I thought, 'whoa what would the emotion be if Team Seven had to fight one another in reanimation' which then also turned into an angsty, tragic, romance fiction. I hope you like?
Also, I wrote this story because I am having a Serious Case of Writer's Block! Ah, like The Curse is just killing me right now! It's just this current chapter and I don't know what to do and how to write it! I think it's because I'm introducing original characters and I usually abhor adding in OCs but because this story needs it and a lot of them, I'm having so much trouble putting them into the picture smoothly. ARGHH! It's frustrating!
AND! Top it all off, I have school starting soon, a new job, and personal familial problems going on, and knowing the weight of these reasons will go to show that updates won't be coming as frequently as I would like, so I'm asking you to all please be patient with me, I'm trying my hardest here, I'll probably update through my Twitter how things are going. So for now, I hope Reanimated Closure will tide you over for a bit, please tell me what you think? PM me if you have any ideas or advice or anythingthat can help with myThe Curse dilemma, or just to drop by and say Hey and talk, cuz making friends is fun and it might loosen me up from the stress. Up to you!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
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Thank You To Those Who Read And Review! You're AWESOME!
Oh! One last thing! Anyone got a Twitter? I made one for the sole purpose of making friends who have the same interests as me (Naruto, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Final Fantasy VII, Anime in general), let me know, I'm open to new friendships and whatever, up to you, just PM me or drop a review! Happy reading everyone!
Oh! And I plan on sending out some Pokémon (AAML), Fullmetal Alchemist (EdWin), and Final Fantasy VII (CloudTifa) Fictions too, so if you're FANS, please check them out! :)
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