Author's note:
Hey everyone! I'm new to fan fiction writing but I just started watching Naruto recently, and it's started to become a pretty big part of my life (when I'm not doing schoolwork, of course). I originally posted this drabble as a one-shot, but after seeing some positive feedback, I decided to continue it! The story will go on, but I definitely am not so sure anymore whether or not the content will be suitable for all readers…
This story is purely experimental, so let me know if you like it! For some reason, all my inspiration so far has come from dreams that tend to get a little bit twisted, which would explain why my storylines can get a little dark and… unique, to say the least. Hopefully you all will like it and continue to support me! (Please leave me comments, I love love LOVE reading them hehe)
** I've created a playlist that I think would be fitting for you all to listen to while reading, so be sure to check it out! **
Playlist: /playlist?list=PLss6b3sqRS6MhSBf4T2iyLJovf4-tqBUQ
Just type in youtube to your browser, and paste the link above after ".com"!
Formatting:
Italicized sentences = character's inner dialogue/thoughts.
Paragraphs written in italics = memories/flashbacks
Horizontal line inserted = character/perspective shift or scene change
About the OC:
Name: Hisashi Ruman
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Affiliation: Konohagakure
Team: Team 7
Ninja rank: Chūnin
Clan: —
General appearance: long black hair + straight bangs that rest right above dark brown eyes; ash-gray brows, button nose, soft berry red lips
Attire: white tank top + short black exercise pants underneath a large & loose black kimono cardigan with red peach blossom branch designs
Description:
It's been years since Ruman last saw Sasuke, after he left Konoha to train under Orochimaru. She was never sure where she stood with him—were they comrades? Friends? Did he perhaps, at some point, even have feelings for her? Ruman had always been in denial of how she felt towards Sasuke because she knew almost every girl was head over heels for him, and she would never be able to compete with that. But still, something between her and Sasuke felt different. It felt special. If she didn't know better, Ruman might have even believed that Sasuke was fond of her. But everything changed the night he made his decision to leave Konoha, Team 7, and Ruman behind.
Taking place after Orochimaru's and Itachi's deaths, Sasuke has turned to the Akatsuki after Uchiha Madara revealed the truth behind the clan's extermination. With time running out and imminent danger approaching the village of Konoha, Tsunade has, under special circumstances and in light of urgent matters, reluctantly permitted Naruto to pursue Sasuke after his relentless persuading. Because the village is short on shinobi and Sakura must stay to look after any injured citizens, Tsunade has assigned the mission to the rest of what Team 7 is now: Kakashi, Naruto, Sai, and Ruman. Of course, one cannot gain without losing, and as the members of Team 7 face Sasuke and his newly recruited group, Taka, fate and confrontation reveal who will gain—and lose—more.
Chapter song: "Face Down" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
"Face down in the dirt, she said, 'This doesn't hurt.'"
Unwavering
"Kakashi!" Pakkun's deep voice rang through the forest's silence. "Sasuke's scent is getting stronger, and so are the scents of three other people."
"It seems we're catching up," Kakashi commented.
Ruman felt her heart speed up at the thought of seeing Sasuke again for the first time in years, since he left Konoha. She saw Naruto clench his fists and grit his teeth out of the corner of her eye, and heard a twig snap loudly under his feet as he picked up his pace, hopping from tree branch to tree branch.
Ruman couldn't even begin to fathom how much this must mean to Naruto; although he also left Konoha for two long years to train with Jiraiya-sama, they all grew up together—her, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura—and she continued to watch him grow even when he returned from his intensive training. When they were younger, she sat through all their fights, sometimes acting as peacemaker because Sakura always stood on Sasuke's side and shunned Naruto. Sasuke didn't witness any of this because he was gone with Orochimaru, but Ruman had seen Naruto leave on mission after mission, time after time, attempt after attempt, to find Sasuke and bring him back. It crushed her to see how much Naruto was doing for Sasuke, only to be hurt over and over again in the end.
"You okay?" Ruman asked Naruto softly, eyes fixated on their path of tree branches to keep up with him.
"I don't know," Naruto admitted. "All I do know, is that this time we're gonna get Sasuke. We have to."
Ruman stayed quiet, but her thoughts echoed his. After everything Naruto had gone through, with all traces of Sasuke completely disappearing for so long, Ruman vowed to give her everything in order to bring Sasuke back home.
Sai and Kakashi were at the front following Pakkun's lead, while Naruto and Ruman stayed closely behind, forming their four-man cell. It was silent for a bit, with only the sounds of tree branches flying past them and the wind in their ears as they moved swiftly. Catching Ruman and Naruto's exchange, Sai murmured to Kakashi, "I don't understand."
Kakashi turned his head toward Sai.
"I don't understand why those two are willing to go so far for Sasuke-kun, when he has clearly gone down a path of evil and has had no intentions of returning to them," Sai said emotionlessly.
Kakashi just turned his attention back to Pakkun's path, before replying, "You will."
"Say, Ruman-chan…" Naruto began hesitantly.
"Yeah?"
"Did you think about him?" he asked, looking down with forlorn eyes.
"I did," Ruman breathed, without hesitance.
She closed her eyes for a moment, and sighed. "I don't think there was a day when I didn't think about him, to be honest. We were like a family, and for him to just leave… who wouldn't think about him? I thought about him while training, pushing myself to work harder so I would be strong enough when we faced him—sometimes I thought I couldn't take it anymore, but just the thought of bringing him back kept me going."
Naruto was silent.
"Me too."
Ruman smiled softly, for she already knew that Naruto felt exactly the same way. She was simply there to remind him that he wasn't alone, and that Sasuke meant as much to her as he did to everyone. He needed the reassurance sometimes.
"I remember when Team 7 was first formed," Naruto recalled, cracking a small, sad smile. "Sasuke looked so annoyed since we were the only group that had four Genins instead of three; that jerk really had the nerve to tell us all not to be hindrances to him too."
"I know right?" Ruman chuckled, her soft red lips curling upwards. "Look at us now, busting our asses just to find him."
"We thought more people in a team meant a bigger burden in the beginning," Naruto admitted. "But that just meant there are more people who care—you, Sakura-chan, Kakashi sensei… we all want to bring Sasuke back."
"Yeah," Ruman murmured.
"Sakura-chan was always so hopelessly in love with him, always chasing after him," Naruto reminisced. "But Sasuke was always nicer to you, or at least more patient."
Ruman felt her heart skip a beat as blood rushed to her cheeks.
"Nah," she said coolly, trying to keep herself from falling into the trap of false hope. "I was just like anyone else to him. Plus we were on the same team, of course he had to treat me well."
"Did you have feelings for Sasuke?"
The question hit Ruman out of nowhere, even though she probably should have seen it coming. She clamped her mouth shut and her throat went dry.
Naruto just laughed.
Was I really special? she wondered to herself. As much as she tried to shake off the thought, she couldn't keep the nostalgic memories from flooding her mind.
It was a warm spring day that day.
"Sasuke!" Ruman called, jogging over to him as he walked down the busy streets of the village alone, hands in his pockets.
Sasuke turned around to see Ruman running towards him, soft black hair dancing in the wind behind her.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Spar with me," Ruman panted, smiling.
Sasuke turned back around and kept walking, leaving Ruman behind.
"Get someone else to do it," he responded nonchalantly over his shoulder. "I don't feel like it."
She rolled her eyes. Sasuke's always been like this. If you wanted him to do something, you'd have to keep bugging him relentlessly until he gave in.
Ruman picked up her pace, trailing behind him.
"Come on~" she coaxed as he kept walking.
"I don't have time. Why don't you get Naruto or Sakura?" Sasuke mumbled with closed eyes, head tilted back lazily.
"Liar—you're not even doing anything!" Ruman protested. "Naruto's never serious about training with me, and Sakura doesn't have the same strength as you do…"
Sasuke slowed to a stop.
"Please?" Ruman nudged persistently.
Sasuke sighed.
"Thirty minutes."
"Thanks Sasuke," she beamed.
He simply grunted in response.
Typical.
"Ready?" Ruman hollered from the other side of the grassy meadow she and Sasuke were standing in.
Sasuke shrugged.
Even standing so many feet across from him, Ruman could feel Sasuke's calm, collected aura radiating towards her.
She took a deep breath. Ruman knew close combat was her weakest area—she still got nervous about not being able to react quickly enough when being attacked—but that was all the more reason to keep practicing with someone she could learn from, rather than running from her weakness and fear.
"Here I go," she said under her breath.
Ruman charged towards Sasuke with determination, wanting to at least be able to land a few scratches on him.
Once she was within range, she swung her arm towards Sasuke's head and swept her foot under him, both attacks of which he managed to effortlessly dodge. She grunted with each hit she made, focusing all her force into a specific area she was aiming for.
It's begun.
Once she and Sasuke had gotten into the rhythm of sparring, it seemed to get a little easier to keep up with him. Ruman was able to block or dodge his attacks for the most part, but she got the feeling he was probably going easy on her.
She was just barely keeping up with him, and soon enough, two… five… seven minutes passed.
So far, Ruman had been on the offense, and Sasuke on defense. Other than a few jabs here and there, Sasuke hadn't even actively attacked her yet. While she appreciated the thought, it also frustrated her that her and Sasuke's fighting skill levels were so far apart despite both of them being Genin.
Without warning, Sasuke pivoted and swung his leg at Ruman's cheek in a roundabout kick. It took both her arms crossed over each other in order to block his strong advance, and even that would surely leave bruises on her arms for a good week. The force in Sasuke's kick was enough to knock the air out of Ruman, her heels digging backwards into the dirt. If she hadn't seen it coming a split second earlier, her head might have been smashed in.
"Holy crap, Sasuke," Ruman huffed, panting heavily.
"Still too slow, Ruman," Sasuke said firmly.
He's so fast… Ruman thought to herself as she felt sweat beads forming on her forehead and back.
As Sasuke went for Ruman's head with his fist, she saw an opening in his defense while his other hand was occupied blocking her punch—an opportunity.
Ruman ducked and hurled herself towards his belly with all her might, letting her own weight carry him down to the soft ground along with her. She quickly used the momentum of their fall to her advantage, landing herself above him. Soon enough, Sasuke was laying on his back in the grass with Ruman sitting just above his ribcage. She pointed her fist down at his face, smiling proudly.
"Boom," she laughed. "I win!"
Sasuke just sighed, rolling his eyes slightly.
Something wasn't right.
Before Ruman could process what was happening, Sasuke had freed his arm from underneath her and swept it past her shoulder, targeting her head. With that one move, he swiftly pushed himself off the ground and knocked her right off of him, swinging his leg over her instead.
Ruman suddenly found herself on her back, looking up at Sasuke with her arms pinned against the grass above her head.
"We've switched positions," Sasuke observed, sighing again. "If you're going to declare victory, you've gotta make sure you can hold your enemy down, Ruman. You didn't even hold my arms still or anything… just your weight in its own isn't enough to hold me down."
Ruman bit her lip.
"You're heavy, but not that heavy," he teased her, a bit cheekily. "But don't worry, at least in real combat you have me, since you suck at close-range fighting."
Frustrated and refusing to give in, Ruman mustered her energy to swing her leg forward, hoping to hit the back of Sasuke's head while he straddled her.
To her despair, Sasuke was strong enough to hold both of her hands down with just one of his, and consequently blocked her attempted assault with his other hand.
"Nice try."
Ruman continued to squirm under Sasuke, but finally gave in as her body was sore and aching all over from the fight. She relaxed, and pouted, "You win."
After admitting defeat, it struck Ruman that Sasuke was literally sitting on top of her.
They have never been this physically close before, but she was so caught up trying to overpower him earlier that she didn't notice.
This position was a bit… intimate.
Although acting indifferent, Ruman caught the little triumphant smirk playing at the edges of Sasuke's lips—he knew he was good, and constantly winning in these small combats only further reinforced that.
"Well, I know close-combat fighting isn't your forte, so don't feel too bad about it," Sasuke pointed out. "Plus you gave it a pretty good shot—I mean you're up against me here."
Ruman's cheeks started to flush a soft red.
"I suck and I know it," she mumbled. "But I'll get better! I just have to practice more."
She looked away in embarrassment.
Sasuke's expression softened a little at this.
"Keep practicing, and I'll spar again with you next time," he said casually, glancing away as well.
Ruman felt her face get even warmer. It was really nice of Sasuke to offer that, considering he obviously treated sparring with her as a nuisance earlier.
"...Thanks."
The two stayed there quietly for a minute, until Ruman couldn't handle her heart's loud pounding in her ears anymore. Sasuke still had a strong grip on her wrists, and she felt awkwardly exposed and vulnerable lying beneath him with her arms above her head.
Admittedly, the view of Sasuke from down where she was wasn't all that bad.
Ruman mentally smacked herself for getting distracted, and opened her mouth to break the silence.
"Um… Sasuke, you can let go of me now. I'm not gonna punch you, and you're cutting off the blood circulation to my legs."
Alarmed and realizing he'd been sitting on top of her the whole time, Sasuke hopped off of her at the speed of light and muttered, "Sorry."
He looked embarrassed as Ruman sat back up, massaging her legs to get the blood flowing again—they'd started to feel a little numb with Sasuke's weight on top of her for so long.
Ruman snuck a peek at him in the silence; Sasuke's face was just slightly flushed after losing his usual, cool composure for a brief moment—a rare sight, really.
Ruman suppressed a giggle to herself.
Sasuke is still a boy, after all.
He must've felt how close they were too, but Ruman thought it was nice to have the polite barrier broken between them once in awhile. She wondered if his heart sped up at all like hers did.
"Well, thirty minutes is up," Sasuke announced, getting up to leave. "I'm going home then."
"Wait for me!" Ruman shot up, brushing the dirt and grass off of herself. "Jeez, what's the rush? We live in the same direction, so let's just walk back together."
"Suit yourself."
Despite Sasuke's expected cool tone, he still felt warm to Ruman. He always acted so disinterested, yet she could always pick out the underlying tenderness in his voice.
Ruman tried to justify her wanting to walk home with Sasuke as an act of convenience, but she was smart enough not to lie to herself. She wanted to spend more time with him and she knew it.
Hopefully he didn't, though.
Although Ruman admitted to herself that she wanted to maximize her time together with Sasuke, every time the thought of actually confronting her feelings towards him rose, she still shook them away.
Ruman walked quietly behind Sasuke, eyes fixed on the Uchiha crest he wore so proudly on the back of his blue shirt every day. She walked up beside him and matched her steps with his. The sun was still high up in the sky, as it was only early afternoon.
Hell, she didn't even know what she would do when she got home, but if Sasuke was going home, then she was too. The simple little things they did together—making small talk, walking home, or even sitting in silence—made her happy. Ruman was content just being by his side.
But he couldn't ever know that.
She would willingly watch Sasuke silently from the sidelines, and promise to have his back as a comrade, and as a friend.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, Ruman-chan," Naruto laughed, bringing Ruman back down to Earth. "All I'm saying is that you may call me stupid sometimes, but I can at least notice obvious things about my comrades."
"Shut up, stupid," Ruman grumbled. Naruto was always teasing her.
Sheesh, I'm the nicest to him and the most patient with him out of this team, and this is how he repays me?
"You two," Kakashi's sudden voice interrupted Ruman's thoughts. "Sasuke and them seemed to have slowed down, which means we'll most likely be confronting them soon. Be ready."
Ruman swallowed dryly and felt Naruto tense up beside her.
"Got it."
The next few minutes that passed felt as short as seconds and as long as years. Ruman felt the turmoil within her disrupting her thoughts.
I want to see Sasuke, but part of me feels so scared… I don't even know what I'm scared of.
But she did.
Ruman was afraid that they would not actually be able to bring Sasuke back, despite having so much manpower. She was afraid that even if they could forcefully make him return, he would be a changed person. She was afraid that he'd despise them. She was afraid that he'd already thrown away all their friendship, while she was still foolishly strung up over him. She was afraid she'd be too weak.
This boy… the one who excelled in every aspect among his peers, the one who killed the very master he abandoned his village to follow, the one who successfully killed his brother with his own hands… they'd be facing him soon.
Ruman had so many questions for Sasuke. About him murdering Orochimaru, finally taking his revenge against Itachi, and leaving her behind those years ago. He had broken the promise he made to her and Team 7, that he would have their backs. He called himself a man of his word, yet abandoned the only remaining people who loved him most—the ones who were more than willing to watch his back and fight alongside him.
Ruman wasn't sure if the pain in her chest was from exerting too much energy in a frenzy to move as fast as she could in order to catch up to Sasuke, or the physical aching in her heart that returned every day whenever she remembered him.
Ruman's senses immediately picked up the familiar feeling of Sasuke's chakra.
It was time.
She looked up, and sure enough, there he was.
"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled.
Naruto, Kakashi, Pakkun, Sai, and Ruman all came to a complete stop in a small clearing surrounded by the towering trees.
With his back towards her, Ruman's stomach twisted into knots at the sight of the signature crimson clouds on the Akatsuki robe Sasuke wore, along with the other three people he was with—two male and one female.
The silhouette of the boy she'd admired most and quietly given her heart to was standing before her very eyes. He felt so familiar, yet unfamiliar.
"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled again, his voice just barely detectable of desperation.
Sasuke turned around slowly to face him. His charcoal eyes were emotionless and dark, just like the aura that surrounded him.
He still looked as alluring as ever, and if Ruman hadn't been scarred emotionally, one look from him might have been enough to make her forget that he ever hurt her.
"Naruto."
Naruto stiffened.
"What do you want?" Sasuke asked icily.
"We're here to take you back to the village of Konoha," Sai said firmly for Naruto, taking a step forward.
"You say the word 'back' like there's somewhere I should return to," Sasuke replied in a stony voice. "I don't know if you guys are dumb or in denial, but I have nothing to do with Konoha anymore."
Ruman felt her heart throb at Sasuke's words.
He said it so easily, like he really didn't care at all. It may have been a while since Ruman last saw him, but she didn't remember Sasuke's eyes ever looking so cold.
"Sasuke…" Ruman murmured without realizing, her voice barely audible.
Sasuke turned his head ever-so-slightly towards her in response to his name, his onyx irises piercing through her brown ones.
Ruman wanted to say something to him. Perhaps she was angry, sad, or neither. She just wanted to say something to him. About all the memories they shared together as a team. About all the now-empty promises they had made in the past as friends. About him abandoning her when she finally thought she'd found people she cared about, who cared about her in return.
But she couldn't. Her throat was completely dry, her mind blank. She just stood there gaping at him, unable to believe they were standing face-to-face.
"Even if you don't want to come back, I'll make you come back," Naruto snarled, hurling himself towards Sasuke to attack him.
"Naruto—!" Ruman began, trying to stop him.
It looked like a battle was inevitable, but they were all prepared for this—even if they didn't want to be.
Before Ruman could reach Naruto, a lanky boy with platinum blue hair beside Sasuke jumped in front of him and swung a sword larger than his body at Naruto with inconceivable strength.
This guy is so skinny… how can he swing that sword with so much force and control? Is that even possible?
Naruto coiled back in response, wary of the large weapon.
"Get out of the way," Naruto growled.
"As if," the boy smirked, exposing his sharp, fang-like teeth. "Sasuke's the reason I'm even out here, so I can't let you put any scratches on him, can I?"
The boy's purple eyes harbored a devious glimmer.
Ruman clenched her fists tight.
Were they going to fight here? Was this it? Would this be the face-off between Sasuke and them that she had been anticipating, preparing for, and fearing for the last three years?
The other two unfamiliar faces standing beside Sasuke tensed up as well. The larger, hefty male on Sasuke's left with spiky, flaming orange hair looked distraught and apprehensive, but ready to fight. He was definitely well-built, and Ruman didn't doubt his strength. On Sasuke's right stood a girl with red, ungroomed hair. Her black, almond-shaped glasses gleamed in the sunlight, and she stood, closely attached to Sasuke.
Ruman's eyes narrowed at her.
Who is she? Ruman wondered. I don't even know her, but the way she's standing next to Sasuke… why do I feel so agitated?
They all seemed around the same age as Ruman and her team. Although she didn't want to even think about who was stronger, there was no denying that if Sasuke recruited this girl, she must be extremely capable somehow. Ruman's underlying insecurity about herself immediately resurfaced, causing her heart to pound hard against her chest.
What if… I can't defeat them? All that training… what if it ends up being for nothing?
Ruman bit her lip.
What if we can't bring Sasuke back today?
Sasuke's stony voice broke Ruman's chain of thought.
"How annoying," he chuckled condescendingly. "If you're not careful, you'll be killed, Naruto."
Ruman's eyes darted to Naruto, who grit his teeth together.
"Suigetsu, Jugo, take care of these nuisances," Sasuke taunted, turning away. "Karin and I are leaving first."
"Sasuke—" Ruman croaked, but he was already gone.
"You bastard," Naruto snarled, getting ready to run after Sasuke.
"I don't think so," Suigetsu—the fishy-looking boy—interrupted, blocking Naruto's path with his sword.
Naruto widened his stance, a signal that he was ready to fight.
"Ruman-chan," Naruto glowered.
Ruman looked at him.
"You and everyone else go after Sasuke. I can take care of these two myself."
"But Naruto—"
"Just go."
Naruto broke his sullen expression for a second and smiled reassuringly at her.
"Do you really think I can't handle these two scrubs?" Naruto joked.
Seeing how Ruman still looked uncertain, he reassured, "Don't worry about me. We can't let Sasuke get away this time, right?"
He was right.
"Be careful," she warned, turning around to leave. "You better catch up to us soon. Promise me."
"I promise," Naruto grinned. "I can't die here."
"Why are you taking so long?" Suigetsu jeered at Naruto from behind. "Are you scared of fighting us?"
As Naruto beckoned for her to go, Ruman hesitantly looked up at Kakashi-sensei—already up on the tree branch and ready to go—who just nodded at her. She reluctantly turned around, and jumped back up onto the tree branch to follow Sasuke, leaving Naruto behind to fight Suigetsu and Jugo. With this, Ruman, Pakkun, Kakashi and Sai hopped right back on Sasuke's trail.
As they started jumping from tree to tree again, Ruman heard Naruto's familiar fighting voice grow distant, along with the "poofs" of his signature shadow clones being summoned.
Even though she was used to it now, Ruman still hated the sounds of clashing and fighting whenever she knew her friends were in danger. Regardless of how much faith she had in them and how capable she knew they were, she couldn't stand the idea of them getting hurt.
Naruto…
Ruman squeezed her eyes shut and told herself to toughen up. She had a job to do.
Sasuke, what's happened to you?
She had so many questions and so many confusing emotions, but now was not the time to get distracted.
Fifteen minutes of hot pursuit had passed, and Ruman's legs were starting to feel sore. She wondered how far ahead Sasuke and the girl named Karin had gotten. Just the thought of Karin rubbed her the wrong way.
"You two, stop," Kakashi suddenly ordered.
Ruman and Sai froze in their tracks on command, each holding onto their respective tree trunks. Leave it to her teacher and team captain to be sharp, for Ruman had just barely detected another person's presence after they stopped.
"Oooh, a quick one, are we?" a high, singsong voice rang through the air.
Ruman's head snapped in the voice's direction to see a man with black, grass-like hair standing several feet above them in an even taller tree. His face was covered by a thick, orange mask with one eye-hole—the design on it reminded her of a whirlpool. She couldn't put her finger on why, but this man gave her an uneasy feeling.
Ruman's whole body grew tense at the sight of the Akatsuki robe this man also wore.
Who was he? Did he have something to do with Sasuke turning to the Akatsuki? What did he want?
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you go past here," the man sang.
Without giving the man a chance to say another word, Sai lurched forward and drew his sword from its sheath without warning, aiming for the man's heart.
Ruman's jaw dropped at what she saw: Sai's entire body just flew through the masked man's.
What the…
Was this man even real? Was he transparent?
Right after Sai's body flew through the man's, he grabbed Sai by his arm and flung him towards a tree trunk. Sai, being Sai, managed to save himself and land on his two feet agilely, but the problem at hand was how they were going to deal with this new enemy who obviously had no intentions of letting them move forward.
"Who are you?" Ruman demanded.
"Just a passerby," the man shrugged. He spoke lightheartedly as if everything were a joke to him, but Ruman knew this man was dangerous. She could feel it in her bones.
"Why am I getting the feeling that you're only here to deal with me?" Kakashi suddenly spoke calmly, grinning at the man. Although he was smiling, his intentions were unreadable. Ruman had no idea what her sensei was thinking.
"And that's why I said you're the quick one!" the man beamed. "You see, Sasuke's very tired from killing Itachi after Orochimaru, so I can't let you continue with these two over here."
He beckoned to Ruman and Sai.
Part of Ruman suddenly felt afraid. She had a sense of security when she was with Kakashi-sensei because he always knew what to do, but the fact that the masked man only thought Sasuke would be at a disadvantage was if Kakashi was there, meant that he believed it would be fine if it were just Ruman and Sai.
This man, wearing the same Akatsuki robe as Sasuke and his new partners, most definitely knew more about Sasuke's current abilities and limits.
"Looks like I don't have a choice then," Kakashi exhaled, pushing his headband up to reveal his infamous Sharingan. "Thanks for everything, but you can go back now, Pakkun."
"Be careful," Pakkun warned in his low voice before disappearing into the air at the release of his summoning.
"Ruman, Sai," Kakashi ordered. "Go after Sasuke. Be careful, and protect each other."
Even though the mysterious man's face was hidden behind a mask, Ruman could practically feel him smiling to himself as everything seemed to be playing out the way he wanted it to. As much as she didn't like it, there didn't seem to be any other option.
"Understood," Ruman and Sai said together.
"Kakashi-sensei…" Ruman began before turning around. "Be careful."
"Yeah."
Ruman and Sai darted off back into the trees to follow Sasuke, leaving their team leader behind.
As they continued on their mission in silence, Ruman's brows furrowed together in worry, anxiety, and uneasiness the whole time.
"What are you worried about?" Sai asked.
"Nothing," Ruman mumbled. She appreciated Sai's presence at this point in time; he's been through a lot with her and Naruto, and he's finally started to learn how to act like a friend and a real human, being rather than the emotionless rock-of-an-ANBU-agent. But opening up to him and discussing her feelings might still take a while.
Ruman had only ever really been able to share her most thoughtful ideas and views with Sasuke, since they were both much more mature for their age when they were young. She and Neji were also close since he was also intelligent—emotionally and intellectually—for his age, but because they were in different teams, it just didn't feel the same as when she and Sasuke talked together.
And even if Sai were capable of being compassionate like a normal human being, the thought of replacing Sasuke with him shook her uneasily.
"Sai, later when we meet Sasuke…" Ruman said carefully. "Leave him to me."
Sai's eyes widened in surprise as he turned to her.
"But—"
"I know. You're probably stronger and more skilled than I am, but my guess is you're really still not a match for Sasuke," Ruman explained blankly. "So the best chance we've got is to let me talk to him; I understand him, I know his personality, and if Naruto's right, maybe he will even listen to me."
Sai opened his mouth to protest, but both he and Ruman saw the same thing together at the same time—the two black robes with crimson clouds outlined in white.
They had caught up to Sasuke.
"There he is," Ruman breathed.
They picked up their pace and landed at the mouth of a cave at the bottom edge of a mountain, right outside the forest they were just in.
Sasuke and Karin seemed to be already waiting for them.
Ruman and Sai walked towards them, stopping about 20 feet away. Ruman and Sai stood side by side, both on guard, facing Sasuke. Karin stood a little behind Sasuke, shielded from them.
The mere sight of him was enough to render her speechless. His shoulders had broadened, his face was more chiseled, and he had grown taller. Sasuke was growing up, just as she was, yet she could not be by his side to watch him grow like she once thought she would be able to. They were supposed to grow up together, but Ruman felt like she was left behind.
She hated to admit it, but even cold, apathetic Sasuke still looked as handsome as ever. Ruman knew he was never one to be engrossed with his physical features, but the way he could shake up her heart by simply doing nothing really bugged her.
The last time they stood face to face like this was three years ago.
It was a full moon that night, but unlike the moon and the stars, Ruman's heart was left dimmed, empty, and cracked.
It was the middle of the night, and, once again, Ruman couldn't sleep.
She's always had issues with sleeping, but she'd learned to come to terms with it and find ways to occupy her time while she was awake, rather than try unsuccessfully to force herself to fall asleep.
Over the years, Ruman discovered that she found peace in taking nighttime walks whenever her mind just couldn't rest—her body was exhausted, but it was her mind that never seemed to shut down.
As routine called, Ruman sighed as she sat up in bed.
"Not this again," she mumbled, ruffling her hair.
She slid out of the covers and into her slippers, whilst peering out the window.
It didn't look cold outside—it looked warm, in fact, despite the dark, cool tones casted over the village from the moon. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and the stars twinkled from up above like a river of diamonds.
The serene night sky would usually put her heart at ease, but Ruman just couldn't relax that tonight. Something felt wrong.
She couldn't stop thinking about the Chūnin exams and all the horrors they held that would surely traumatize her forever.
Ruman walked over to the mirror that hung on her wardrobe, until she was close enough to see her reflection clearly in the moonlit room. She trailed her fingers over the bandaged wound on her shoulder and shuddered as she was reminded of what happened in the Forest of Death.
It all started when Orochimaru first gave Sasuke the Cursed Seal of Heaven on his neck, eerily promising that Sasuke would surely seek Orochimaru out himself for greater power. Naruto and Sasuke had both been unconscious after fighting Orochimaru, so Ruman and Sakura had to seek refuge for them under the trunk of a towering tree. Being the other girl on the team, Sakura always saw Ruman as some sort of competitor for Sasuke even though they were friends, so she had rushed over to Sasuke's side to take care of him before Ruman even had the chance.
Of course, Naruto was Ruman's teammate just as much as Sasuke was, so she didn't mind. She cared immensely about them both.
It was when the boys were unconscious that Team 7 was attacked by Team Dosu—Ruman and Sakura were both exhausted and no match for them. The ninja named Tsuchi Kin had grabbed Sakura by her hair and humiliated her, and provoked her to the point of cutting all her long, pink hair off with a kunai knife. Ruman was held in a chokehold by one of the other ninjas, and had never felt so helpless while she watched Sakura try to fight Kin, only to be brutally beaten.
Ruman had never killed before, just like all the other Konoha Genin, but in that moment, with the Oto ninjas looking down on her and Sakura, it may have been her only chance.
She had taken advantage of the Oto ninja's doubt of their skills, and rammed the kunai knife she hid in her waistband into her attacker's gut. As he staggered backwards and let go of Ruman, she whipped around, aiming for his throat to finish him completely.
The bloodcurdling scream that came out of his teammates' throats would ring in her ears forever.
Kin had directed her attention from Sakura, limp and motionless on the ground, to Ruman and snarled the words "bitch" and "garbage" at her.
It was then Ruman had fought close-range with a real opponent for the first time, but Kin was much faster and cunning than she was. Kin was able to effortlessly slash Ruman's right shoulder open, letting blood gush from the wound, while Ruman contemplated if this would be her end.
She'd never forget the feeling of her right arm going weak, no longer able to wield a weapon, while her left hand tightly holding the wound wasn't even enough to stop the bleeding. She'd never forget how much red she saw that day.
As she squeezed her eyes shut at the sight of Kin lurching towards her with a clear intent to kill, Lee, Neji, and Tenten sprang out of the bushes to their rescue.
As Neji ran over to Ruman to check to see if she was okay, Lee had began to fight the Oto ninjas. Ruman had started to feel queasy from the loss of blood, and collapsed to the dirt ground completely.
She saw Team 10 hold off the Oto ninjas well enough to feel reassured, until she caught sight of Sasuke slowly standing up.
The curse mark Orochimaru had given him earlier on his neck had traveled all down his body, a blazing orange color. A chakra so vicious, so dark, and so malicious emanated from Sasuke's whole being, and it was enough to make Ruman tremble in fear.
Sasuke had made his way over to the ninja named Abumi Zaku and brutally dislocated his shoulders just to cause him pain. The crunching of his bones made Ruman sick to her stomach.
She had never seen Sasuke in a state of such hateful, violent, and murderous intent.
It was then that Sakura flung herself onto Sasuke, hugging him and crying, begging him to stop.
Ruman had never felt so helpless—she wanted to stop him, but all she could do was lay on the ground, writhing from the sheer agony in her shoulder.
Although relief washed over Ruman as she saw Sasuke gain control over the deadly seal, she could not shake the feeling of bitterness and worthlessness tugging at her.
Those were the last feelings she felt before completely losing consciousness.
Ruman felt a knot form in her throat recalling these fresh memories as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Rumors had ended up drifting around that Ruman was the first Genin in their year to kill someone, but it turned out that the ninja she stabbed did not actually die.
She shuddered.
She wasn't ready to have blood on her hands yet.
Had Neji and Tenten not given her medical attention and waited until she regained consciousness before leaving, who knows? Maybe she would have bled out and died right there in the Forest of Death.
Ruman smiled sourly in the mirror.
Dying in the Forest of Death. How fitting.
Shaking the bad memories away, Ruman decided to just go for her nighttime walk in her loose, white pajama shirt and shorts, seeing as the peaceful spring evening would surely keep her warm. She took off her slippers and put on her shoes, heading downstairs.
After leaving her single, modest house, Ruman walked quietly and slowly to the beat of her heart. Each step she took was one beat, and she shifted her weight between her feet as smoothly as she could. She liked to think of it as practicing controlling her movement, and gave her body something to focus on. She would go wherever her feet led her.
While she walked, her mind wandered. She thought about how beautiful the moon and stars were, how they remained unchanged despite the catastrophes that had fallen upon their peaceful village within the span of just a few weeks.
But she has lived through it all.
She was alive after the Chūnin exams—despite withdrawing due to her serious injuries—after the attempted invasion of Konoha, and after the third Hokage's shocking death. The weight of all those recent events rested heavily on Ruman's chest, but something still felt wrong.
Her mind flashed back to earlier in the day, when Sakura had come running and crying to Ruman. Apparently, while Sasuke was recovering at the hospital after his battle with Gaara, he challenged Naruto to an ultimate face-off of power.
Sasuke and Naruto had charged towards each other on the rooftop of the hospital, bearing the Chidori and Rasengan, respectively, and Sakura had tried to run between them to put an end to the fight. If Kakashi-sensei hadn't stepped in at the last minute, all three of them could have been seriously injured, or even worse, killed.
Ruman's heart ached at Sasuke's obvious attempts to validate himself.
Everyone knew that Naruto was always trying to catch up to Sasuke in terms of strength and power, but Sasuke was so blinded by Naruto's quick improvement that he failed to recognize his own progress.
They had both gotten so strong in such a short period of time, but Sasuke still couldn't see that Naruto was only doing so much so that Sasuke would acknowledge him—Naruto was a diamond in the rough, but to Ruman, Sasuke was already a diamond.
She just wished he could see what she saw.
Letting out an stressful exhale, Ruman brushed the negative thoughts away. She told herself to have faith in both Naruto and Sasuke, and convinced herself that everything would be okay in the end. They just both had to grow a little more, and they would step back and realize how foolish they'd been acting.
Ruman blinked, and realized that she'd been walking for well over thirty minutes. She'd reached the village's main gate, and it was probably time to return home. Twilight was approaching, and she thought it best to try to sleep for at least three hours before starting her day again in the morning.
But something about how the thousands of stars glimmered, so entrancingly and so beautifully, made it hard for her to tear her eyes away and return home.
As Ruman stood in the moonlight admiring the vast sky that made her and her problems feel so small, she sensed a familiar chakra emitting from behind her.
She whipped around. There was no mistaking it.
"Sasuke?" she murmured.
There he stood in front of her, his silhouette outlined in silver by the moonlight. Ruman felt mesmerized—she didn't think it was possible for someone to be so beautiful.
But then she realized there could only be one reason Sasuke was standing with her at the main gate of the village, with a big backpack on his shoulders, in the middle of the night.
Ruman suddenly felt nauseous as memories of Orochimaru flooded her mind, and all the hate, violence, and darkness that came with them.
There was no way Sasuke could really be thinking about following him.
"Ruman," Sasuke responded, not gently, not firmly. Not loudly, not quietly.
She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Don't tell me—" she quivered.
Sasuke just continued to stare into her eyes, his expression unreadable.
What was he thinking?
They stood there face to face, for what felt like an eternity. Ruman could feel his intentions in the air, without even exchanging words with him.
She saw his pupils dilate in his dark grey eyes, before he closed his eyes and began walking towards her—towards the gate. He kept his head down, as if he didn't want to make eye contact with her.
"Don't do it," she whispered, her voice shaking. Ruman couldn't even tell if she was shaking from anger, disbelief, sadness, or disappointment.
"I have to," Sasuke responded calmly without hesitation, continuing to close the distance between them. He stopped when there was only about a foot between them.
Ruman turned her back to him, not wanting him to see her facial expression crumble. She clenched her fists together, contemplating her options.
Should she try talking him out of it?
It didn't seem like he was going to listen.
Should she call for help?
She wouldn't have enough time, and there's no way Sasuke would let her.
Should she fight him?
She knew she wouldn't stand a chance.
But even if there was no possibility of Ruman winning against Sasuke in a fight, she had to at least try something. Just as she was about to turn around to aim a punch at Sasuke's head, Ruman felt his strong arms wrap around her waist, pulling her into an embrace.
Ruman froze.
Her eyes widened as her arms slowly fell to her sides.
Was he… hugging her?
Normally Ruman's heart would have imploded in joy, but in that moment, it felt like it was being shattered into a million tiny pieces, even smaller than the stars in the night sky.
"Sasuke, don't go—" she breathed as her eyes turned glassy. "This isn't right, and you'll never find peace this way, even if you do find power."
She prayed with all her might for her earnesty to reach him.
Sasuke said nothing, but Ruman immediately knew that her words didn't reach him.
Their bodies were so close, with Sasuke's warm chest pressed against her back, but she felt so distant from him.
Drip.
Drop.
As her heart caved in, the tears that brimmed her brown eyes finally fell and landed one by one on Sasuke's hands that were still wrapped around her.
Ruman hated crying. She'd cried enough as a child, and with no one by her side to support her, she thought she had cried herself dry. There was no more sadness in her to create more tears.
But that night was different.
For once, she thought she'd finally found someone who understood her loneliness. Her solitude. She found someone she was willing to give her heart to, even if she knew he would probably never reciprocate.
And he was leaving her.
He was leaving her after promising to have her back as a comrade and as a friend.
"You're breaking my heart," she faltered—hot, shiny tears streaming down her cheeks, refusing to stop.
"I'm sorry," he said gently but firmly, loosening his grip on her.
Ruman's eyebrows crinkled together as she closed her eyes when he let go, before feeling the blunt force of Sasuke's hand strike the nape of her neck, just below her ear.
And then, nothing.
Ruman's eye twitched at the memory triggered by the sight of Sasuke in front of her. If she hadn't found out later on after that night that Sakura even waited for Sasuke to also try to stop him from leaving that night, though unsuccessful, Ruman might have blamed herself forever.
Ruman took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"Sasuke, come home," she said directly, as genuinely but firmly as she could. She was aware of how pathetic she probably sounded, but she truly knew of no other way to convey how much she wanted Sasuke to just come back to them.
It was pitiful, how desperate she was for him to return, when he's been the source of her pain for three years.
Sasuke scoffed disdainfully.
"You're wasting your time, Ruman," he jeered.
"It's not too late," she said, almost pleadingly. "Don't go down the wrong path, Sasuke. We heard about Orochimaru, and Itachi too."
Sasuke's eyes went stone-cold at Itachi's name.
"Did it feel good?" Ruman asked. "When you got your revenge?"
Sasuke grew tense.
"It wasn't what you expected, right?" she continued. "Revenge isn't going to do anything, so stop trying to find someone to put your blame and hatred on—"
"WHAT DO YOU KNOW?" Sasuke roared, propelling himself towards her.
Sai darted in front of Ruman and blocked his attack, making Sasuke retreat. He was ready to fight.
"Sai, leave us be," Ruman ordered from behind him.
"But—"
"Just go," Ruman said firmly. "Or take care of the other girl first, and join me after."
Ruman could practically hear Sai's internal conflict, since there was no way he was going to let her get hurt, but when Ruman was serious about something, she wasn't joking around.
"I'll be fine."
Sai reluctantly stepped aside at these words, and turned his attention towards Karin.
This is it, Ruman thought to herself.
She looked Sasuke straight in the eye, and said firmly, "I'm going to take you back."
"If you can even catch me," Sasuke sneered, disappearing into the cave.
Alert and ready to put everything she had on the line for this, Ruman ran after him into the darkness, fists balled up.
She heard Sai and Karin fighting behind her as she ran deeper and deeper into the cave.
I'm sure Sai will catch up to me in no time, she thought. But there's no way I'm going to lose Sasuke again.
Ruman caught up to Sasuke towards the end of the cave, where he stood facing her. It was dim in the cave, but not dark enough to fully engulf the two of them.
Sasuke took off his red and black Akatsuki robe and tossed it carelessly to the side.
Ruman's eyes narrowed at the sight of his clothing from Orochimaru's lair. She hated the open shirt that revealed his muscular, toned body.
Ruman lunged towards him and swung her arm at his head, sweeping her feet beneath him at the same time. He swiftly dodged both attacks, and taunted, "You still start your attacks off the same way."
Having no time for words, Ruman continuously attacked him, hoping to keep him busy and not give him a chance to use any sort of weapon or Ninjutsu. However, keeping up with Sasuke was hard, as always, and that meant Ruman couldn't use Ninjutsu either.
For now, it would have to be a battle of close-range Taijutsu.
The two fought for a few minutes in the dark, speedy and skillful. They have both improved significantly in the last three years.
But significantly wasn't enough for Ruman to be up against Sasuke. His nimble movements were unexpected and strong—a deadly combination.
Without warning, Sasuke swung his leg at Ruman's head in a roundabout kick, like he'd done so many times when they sparred as young Genin.
Ruman immediately bent her head far backwards, dodging the kick. She felt the sharp breeze of Sasuke's kick swish by her chin.
"You're faster now," Sasuke noted.
Before Ruman had time to come back up from her backbend, Sasuke had landed a hit on her chest and locked his hand around her throat, slamming her to the ground against the robe he threw to the side earlier.
"But still not fast enough."
Even though she landed against the soft fabric of the robe, small tears emerged from the edges of Ruman's eyes as massive pain seared through her neck, back, and body from crashing into the ground.
She bit her lip as Sasuke held her down, glowering down at her. Their faces were so close that Sasuke's sharp, black hair was just hanging over her cheeks.
I'm useless, aren't I… she thought bitterly. I'm still no match for him.
"I'm telling you, just give it up already," Sasuke commented coldly. "If you keep this up, you're going to die."
"This…" Ruman snarled through gritted teeth. "Doesn't hurt."
The passion and determination in her eyes burned through Sasuke's, and she thought she saw him waver for a split second.
Sasuke leaned in closer, their faces just centimeters apart.
"I can hurt you right now," he breathed into her ear. "I can hurt you really bad."
Ruman just looked up at him sadly, wincing at the pain in her neck. It was getting harder to breathe.
"I've always been afraid of being hurt by people—you know that," Ruman muttered, staring into his eyes. "But in the end, if it's by you, maybe being hurt wouldn't be so bad."
"Why do you keep doing this?!" Sasuke shouted, his fingers tightening around her windpipe. "Why won't you leave me alone?! Why won't you just give up?!"
"You should know why," Ruman said without hesitation, unflinching. She pointed her fist at Sasuke's chest.
Sasuke's eyes widened.
Ruman took this opportunity and swung her leg forward, aiming for his head. Sasuke immediately jumped out of the way, releasing her in the process. Ruman scrambled to pick herself back up and staggered back towards the cave entrance.
As she tried to catch her breath, Sasuke just stared at her solemnly. He felt tense.
Sasuke didn't know why he felt shaken up. He had long since abandoned all hopes of friendship and happiness—this was the decision he made for himself three years ago, the bargain he made for power and revenge.
Seeing Ruman for the first time in so long took him by surprise; she'd grown taller, her hair was longer, and her body was more toned.
This girl, who, for some reason, was always able to instill some sort of uncertainty in his heart, was standing before him, and he could only remember the night he left her.
She never once wanted to claim him for herself like others he'd encountered, and never once tried to be close to him just to use him for her own benefits. She had come to him with only the purest intentions, always wanting the best for him, and in return, he'd broken his promise as a comrade to her, and broken her heart in the process.
He considered those sacrifices as ones that had to be made in order to be strong. But if those opportunities of joy were sacrifices he had willingly made, why did he feel the uneasiness tugging at his heart at the sight of Ruman?
While training under Orochimaru, Sasuke had never taken a single person's life—there was only one man he wanted to kill, and that was Itachi. But after Madara revealed the truth behind the Uchiha clan's extermination, Sasuke had no more sympathy for the innocent bystanders. He would have revenge against the village of Konoha, and anyone who stood in his way would die as well.
"Ruman-chan!" Sasuke heard an unfamiliar voice call out in concern. He turned around to see the thin boy in a black midriff running towards them, and recalled his name as "Sai."
"I'm fine," Ruman coughed to him as he helped her regain her composure.
Sai noticed the bruises on Ruman's arms and red marks on her neck. His eyes narrowed at Sasuke, and for some reason, Sasuke felt agitated at the sight of him being so close to her.
Sai sprang towards Sasuke, aiming for his stomach. Sasuke immediately evaded his attack, and returned with double the force. He may be tired after his fight with Itachi, but he could already tell that fighting this boy would be no hard task.
He has killed Orochimaru, Deidara, and Itachi. Sai would be no different.
Sasuke and Sai exchanged attacks at close-range. Sasuke did have to hand it to him though, for Sai's movements were all swift, clean, and precise. They didn't lack in strength, and were all aimed extremely accurately at the right places—Sasuke was just faster, stronger, and smarter. With one sudden kick, Sasuke sent Sai flying to the other side of the cave, where his body was slammed against the rocky walls. Little pebbles rolled off the walls due to the force. Surely that was enough to break a few bones in Sai's body.
Sai tried to prop himself back up with his arms, but he began to cough up blood, and fell limply to the ground.
"Sai!" Ruman shrieked from the opposite side of the cave, fearful that he would obtain life-threatening injuries. "Sasuke, enough!"
Sasuke closed his eyes.
He knew Ruman. It's been years, but he still knew her.
At one point when they were younger, he thought that he understood her, and she understood him. They both grew up, empty on the inside, prior to meeting Naruto, and were incredibly mature for their age. He knew that although it was difficult for her to face her fears sometimes, if she really wanted something, she would not give up easily in order to have it.
She would keep bugging him relentlessly until he gave in.
But not today.
Today was the day Sasuke would show everyone how serious he was about his revenge. Today was the day he would cut all ties with Konoha permanently. After today, there would be no going back.
He's decided.
Sasuke slowly drew the Sword of Kusanagi from its sheath, his blade glimmering in the little bits of sunlight that entered the cave. The straight edge and curved tip channeling Sasuke's chakra would pierce through Sai's body, numbing and killing him.
Ruman's eyes widened.
"Sasuke, w-what are you doing?" she stammered weakly. "Why?"
Sasuke tightened his grip on the sword's shaft, looking directly at Sai, who was still lying motionless on the ground.
Ruman, I'm sorry.
Karin had taken a quick defeat against Sai, but since she wasn't his target of interest, he had just tied her up and left her outside the cave while he went after Sasuke and Ruman.
It was a good thing Sasuke told Karin to always keep some sort of knife with her to cut through rope, because it actually came in handy this time. After freeing herself, she ran after Sai and into the dim cave.
Right as she arrived, she saw Sai's body being flung against the wall by Sasuke and covered her mouth in shock.
Ouch.
Her eyes darted to Ruman, who was keeled over and had her hand on her neck. She was bruised all over with dirt on her face, so it seemed like she and Sasuke had quite the fight.
Just the mere sight of Ruman was enough to annoy her. Karin didn't know what the history between her and Sasuke was, but it seemed like they'd known each other for some time, and Sasuke's cold chakra felt a little bit warmer whenever he talked to her.
It didn't show in his stony face, but nothing could get past Karin's sharp chakra senses.
Whoever she was, she probably had meant a lot to Sasuke at some point, and that bugged Karin. Karin was the one who had stayed by Sasuke's side all this time when they were living under Orochimaru, and she was the one who sacrificed her own energy and chakra every time Sasuke was hurt. The bite marks on her arm were for him, made by him, and she wanted him all to herself.
Ruman had no right to just suddenly come in and try to take Sasuke away.
But by the looks of it, Ruman and Sai's chances of winning were slim, and Karin was determined to do whatever she needed to do to help Sasuke. As she watched Sasuke draw his sword from its sheath, she immediately knew what was about to happen.
Sai would die.
There was no doubt about it. If Sasuke wanted someone dead, they'd be dead. Karin braced herself for what would ensue, as Ruman's bloodcurdling scream rang through the cave's walls. It felt like everything was happening in slow motion.
As Sasuke charged towards Sai, sword first, Karin noticed Ruman running towards him.
Oh no, you don't.
Karin ran towards Ruman to block her from reaching Sasuke. She would make sure Ruman watched Sai die right before her eyes, and that no one disrupted Sasuke in finishing his task. Surely Sasuke wouldn't want to deal with Ruman attacking him while he was piercing through a vital organ in Sai's body; determining the positions of someone's vital organs takes precision and practice, and Karin wanted to Sasuke all the space he needed.
She smirked as she charged towards Ruman.
If Ruman was aiming for Sasuke, Karin would beat her to it—there's no way Ruman could stop Sasuke in time to save Sai.
As Karin ran, she noticed Ruman wasn't running as fast as she should be to tackle Sasuke.
Karin's eyes widened in realization. She understood the situation.
Ruman wasn't aiming for Sasuke—she was aiming for Sai.
"Wait!" Karin cried, right before hearing the sound of Sasuke's sword piercing through flesh, as blood spattered against the cold, cave walls.
Drip.
Drop.
Sasuke's eyes widened in horror.
He was face-to-face with Ruman, but his sword didn't go through Sai's body—it went straight through hers.
There was a ringing in his ears as Sasuke's hands trembled slightly.
Was this real?
Ruman stood before Sasuke, arms open, completely blocking his way to Sai. Her head hung limply, her long, black hair draped over Sasuke's hands.
Drip.
Drop.
Blood began to drip slowly onto his hands from Ruman's mouth.
"Feels familiar, doesn't it?" Ruman murmured softly, smirking bitterly at him.
Sasuke's mind flashed back to the night he left the village, when her tears had fallen one by one onto his hands. The very hands that had once embraced her were now wielding the weapon that would take her life; he really had blood on his hands now—her blood.
He couldn't tell if there was sadness or anger in her eyes.
His right hand was still holding the sword, and as Ruman toppled forward, he caught her with his other arm. His thoughts jumbled up and frantic, Sasuke debated in a frenzy what he should do.
The human body had five vital organs essential for survival: the brain, heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs. Sasuke knew, without a doubt, that his sword reached Ruman's liver the second it impaled her.
If he remained motionless, he would run out of time before someone caught up to them. Sasuke would then be outnumbered, and there would be trouble. Even Karin wouldn't have enough time to heal Ruman, and he wasn't sure if Karin had enough energy to even if she wanted to. But if he removed the sword, she would surely bleed out in a matter of minutes, maybe even seconds. Regardless, there was no doubt that she was in an explicable amount of pain.
"Why…" Sasuke muttered, angry, and confused. "Why do you do this?"
His heart pounded painfully loudly in his ears—it felt as if it would rip out of his chest. Sasuke's eyes widened as they met Ruman's.
She kneeled against him but stared at him hard, unwavering.
"You should know why."
Ruman's chin slowly began to turn red as more blood trickled out of her mouth. Sasuke just held her and kept her from collapsing, his sword still lodged in her gut.
Sai could only watch in shock, in utter disbelief that he was watching Ruman die before his eyes, but also that she did it to protect him.
"Come home," Ruman whispered, the light in her eyes dimming.
She was still looking at him with fixed, unshakable eyes.
Why won't she back down? She was literally dying and still asking him to return. Why won't she just give up? Why was she going so far for him? Why wasn't she hating him?
Sasuke clenched his teeth together and tightened his grip on her.
He was supposed to be killing them, but now he was stuck here, unsure of what to do.
Uchiha Sasuke, you're truly the worst, a voice inside him said. You've killed one of the only people who really cared about you with your bare hands—there's really no turning back now.
"Sasuke, we have to go!" Karin cried urgently, though also in shock over the situation. "The Konoha ninja are on their way here, and Madara is probably going to come for us soon."
Sasuke closed his eyes and tore them away from Ruman, her blood staining his hands and white clothing red from her wound. He had no choice.
He drew the sword from her body abruptly as she finally fell over onto the ground, and fled.
Don't look back, you coward, the voice in his spoke again. Now that you've cut off ties with Konoha, you can't think about going back anymore. You've betrayed her.
Ruman felt enormous, sharp pains flash through her entire being—every nerve in her body was screaming. She could feel her clothing grow more and more moist with her blood. She laid there on the cold, hard ground, and the sight of her blood leaking out of her body started to blur.
"Ruman-chan!" Sai cried desperately. "Stay with me!"
He was injured so it was difficult for him to move, she knew that.
"Sai…"
Ruman choked on the blood heaving upwards in her throat.
Is this it? she wondered. Is this my end?
She smiled bitterly to herself.
I guess I won't be able to see Sasuke again then.
Although she was in agonizing pain, Ruman knew very well that she wouldn't have changed a single thing she did.
If thawing a little bit of Sasuke's icy heart and opening his eyes meant letting him pierce through her liver with a sword, she'd willingly do it again. And again. And again. And as many times as it took to make him see the truth.
Naruto, I think I finally reached him…
Ruman began to feel her body go numb. She didn't have much time left.
Man, my life really sucks, she thought, grinning softly. I was too chicken to ever tell the boy I liked that I had feelings for him, and when I started to think he felt the same, he left me behind even when I tried to stop him. And now I'm going to bleed out to death because of him? Geez…
Tears began to flow from the corners of her eyes as she lay, still. She wouldn't be able to say her goodbyes.
I'm sorry, Naruto… Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, Sai… everyone, I'm so sorry.
"Ruman-chan!" Naruto's chilling cry was the last thing she heard before closing her eyes. Her vision blurred as she saw what seemed like Naruto in his orange tracksuit and Kakashi-sensei with his tall, gray hair run towards her frantically from the mouth of the cave.
Naruto, is that you?
Thank you for everything. Thank you for being by my side all this time and being so warm. Thank you for being my light, my ray of sunshine this whole time.
I'm sorry for making you promise to catch up to me when I'm the one who's leaving first.
Maybe in our next lifetime, we can all be friends again.
I'm sure it'll happen if we're meant to be.
I'm sorry things turned out this way.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Author's note:
That's it folks! If you liked the story make sure to drop me a comment so I can read the feedback, haha. If you want to know what happens next, stay tuned because I'm working on the next part! I've got a general idea of how I want it to go but it might not be everyone's cup of tea… and it might be a bit mature ^^; Thanks for reading, and I love you all~
