Blackened clouds rolled silently in the gathering night, casting the forest below in shadows.
Rain pounded down, and a young woman sat pearched in a tree, the water causing her petel shaded hair to be plastered to her face.
Although the rain was hindering her main focus, she was also thankful for it.
Salty tears mingled with drops of water, falling onto the branch she crouched on.
Forcing her emotions back, she kept watching the brightly lit cabin in the clearing. Having heard rumors of... someone staying here, she had made one very important decision that would change her life.
She had left her village.
She became a missing-nin to complete her dream...
...or was it a nightmare?
Shaking her head furiously, raindrops were thrown all around her. She had to stay focused.
The long hours of sitting in the large tree were getting to her. Reaching into her kunai pouch, she took hold of the cool metal. The familiar feeling of it calming her nerves.
The creaking sound of rusty hinges caused Sakura to jump a fraction, hardly noticeable.
Staring through the green leaves and the pouring rain, she saw a body standing in the lit doorway, a long shadow streachted across the ground.
Her breath caught in her throat, her heartbeat slowed almost to the point of stopping.
"Sasuke... " The name was whispered on her lips before she could stop herself.
The leaves russled and Sakura's eyes widened as four shuriken came flying at her, forcing her to jump to her right, but she stumbled as the lack of blood flow to her legs made her fall out of the tree and to the forest floor.
Landing on her back, she gasped for breath as the wind was knocked out of her; her head banged forcefully on the ground.
She panted heavily as she tried to regain her senses, but froze sudden as a katana was pressed to her neck.
Emerald met midnight black.
"Sakura?" Sasuke's voice sounded slightly surprised, but his facial expression betrayed nothing.
"I should have known it was you." The same old smirk that haunted her memories, was now meant "for her. "Only a foolish ninja would let themselves be caught."
Sakura gritted her teeth her teeth, and the old rage mixed with sadness filled her heart.
"But, you never were the best at anything... " The sword slid dangerously on her skin.
'Lier... ' Sakura thought.
Lightning struck in the distance, lighting up the clearing slightly, giving Sakura a better view of her lost love.
His face was much harder than she remembered, and his eyes were guarded, but lingered with sadness.
"I killed him, Sakura." Sasuke's eyes never faultered, nor did his voice change.
"I killed them both."
"Your brother? Orochimaru?"
Sasuke nodded, almost roboticly.
Sakura shivered under his intense gaze. No, because of the rain, she told herself.
"What are you going to do now?" Sakura asked, slightly afraid of the answer. "Will you come back to the village?"
"No."
Sakura blinked in surprise. 'But, you killed Orochimaru! And your brother! You'd be a hero!"
"I've killed too many people, Sakura."
The sudden coldness in his voice cause Sakura to shiver once more.
Silence stretched between them. Sasuke's dark emotionless eyes never betraying a thing. Sakura's bright breen ones were a window to her soul.
"Sakura... " Sasuke knelt in the mud next to her, the katana kept tight against her throat. "Why are you here?"
The young kunoichi swallowed hard.
"I'm here to kill you."
Sasuke's dark chuckle sent a wave of fear washing over her; his smirk mocking her.
"You think you can kill me?"
Grinding her teeth with deterimination, Sakura glared up at him. "I don't think, I know."
"Oh?" Sasuke's smirk widened. "Then why are you just lying there? Hm? Why don't you forget all about kill me, and just stay here. With me." A soft smile lied to her. "Stay, Sakura."
Farmiliar hatered gripped her heart. She had trained too long and too hard to be made fun of now. How dare he mock her feelings!
Pulling a katana from a secret place along her thigh, Sakura plunged it deep within Sasuke's stomach.
A quick intake of breath mirrored her own. The katana at her throat sliced a clean, shallow cut.
Sasuke dropped his sword and grasped at the edges of hers with both hands as he stared down at it in shock.
Sakura sat up quickly and moved back frantically, trying to place a small bit of space between her and the still dangerous missing-nin.
"Sakura... " Sasuke's chest heaved erratically, and he looked up at her with wide eyes, causing tears to spill down her cheeks.
"Thank you." Then Sasuke smiled at her.
A real smile.
"No! Sasuke!" She moved forward and caught him as he fell backward. Sobbing into his chest, she cried out. "What have I done?"
"Sakura," Sasuke said shakily. "I never got the chance to tell you... "
Coughing interrupted him, and blood began to drip down his chin.
"Never told you... that I love- " Sasuke's breath caught short, and his chest stopped moving.
"No!" Sakura screamed out, shaking Sasuke's body forcfully. "That's not fair!"
After pulling the katana from Sasuke's stomach, she forced some chakra into her hand, trying to make the wound close and his heart start beating.
"No!" Tears, again mixed with rain.
"Wake up!" She dropped her hand and bowed her head over him.
"Wake up!" Choking on sobs, she grasped his shirt in her fingers.
"WAKE UP!" With a stuttering cough, Sasuke's chest began moving once more.
Sakura cried out in relief, and she began to heal the gapping hole in Sasuke's torso.
"No, Sakura." Sasuke coughed up more blood, spraying over her front. "Let me go."
"I can't! I won't!'" Sakura began stroking Sasuke's face, tucking stray strands of hair behind his ears, as more rain and tears fell.
"Sakura, listen to me," Sasuke reached up and took hold of her shaking hand, intertwining their fingers, causing Sakura's heart to jump.
"I'm listening." The tightness of her throat made her own voice sounds strange and gritty against her ears.
"You've- " More coughing, more blood.
"You've got to wake up."
Sakura froze for a second. "What?"
Sasuke reached up with his other hand and cupped her cheek.
"Wake up, Sakura."
xoX0Xox
"Wake up, Sakura." Sobs were echoing through the small room.
Sakura squinted her closed eyes as pounding vibrated through her skull. She felt her hand being held, and tears dripping off of her encased hand and onto the bed sheet.
"Please, Sakura." That voice, it was so familiar.
Opening her eyes, Sakura blinked at the whiteness that surrounded her. Looking to her left, her eyes took in a blond head bowed over her hand.
"Naruto?" Sakura's voice was raspy and her lips were cracked.
The spikey haired ninja jerked his head. "Sakura?"
Smiling weakly at her friend, questions began to pop into her mind.
"Naruto, why am I at the hospital?"
Naruto blinked in surprise. "Don't you remember?"
She shook her head slowly.
Naruto sighed and dropped his bright blue gaze. "You left the village to go after Sasuke. We found you at the gates, completely out of it."
Fragments of images began to come back to her. "The gates?"
Naruto nodded.
Sakura frowned. "That's not right, I was out near Stone. There is no way I could have made it that far and not remember."
The orange clad ninja shrugged. "That's what happened."
Sakura sighed, then paused for a second. "I did it, Naruto."
His grip on her hand tightened. "You killed him?"
She smiled sadly. "Yes."
"So it's done." Naruto's shoulders slumped.
She turned her head away, not wanting to show Naruto the tears that threatened to fall.
Looking out the window, her attention was drawn toward a single white lilly.
"Naruto? Who left the flower?"
Naruto smirked, to himself?
"It was tucked in your vest pocket."
Sakura gasped and gripped Naruto's hand hard.
"Sasuke... are you still out there?"
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Author's Notes: Okay, I think I was on crack when I wrote this. It's weird, and I'm not sure if I like it or not. But I wrote it for my best friend. So, enjoy? Sorry if there are any mistakes. I don't have mircosoft word pro anymore.
Um, I also kind of had a story line for this, so if you want my to continue it, I'll need some reviews.
blackXheart