fate's cruel strings
the supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events.
She was as poised and cool as the weapon in her hand. He might have laughed at the sheer absurdity of the situation. The last of the great ones to fall at the hands of an assassin with hair the shade of bubble gum.
She is not collected; her eyes twitch everywhere, seeking the escape from this madness. She does not wish to be here, though neither have a choice in the matter.
"Hesitation, Sakura?" his voice is slightly mocking.
She drew herself up straight. He knew she was close to her breaking point, as close as she could ever be without crumbling.
He had brought her closer and closer every time they met. If he had not already been consumed by hate, he would despise himself for that.
"Crying? Over Konoha's traitor? For the Hokage's assistant, your priorities leave a lot to be desired." He sneers.
She slumps down, her katana clattering to rest at her side. How easy it would be, to reach over, swift as a snake, and slide that smooth metal blade though her soft flesh. Yet his hand doesn't even twitch.
"Sakura, kill me now." It's not quite a demand, but neither a request. It just is.
She looks up and over at his form, trying to decipher what he really means. Her eyes memorize every detail; the dark hair slicked down by the rain, the clothes with that hated purple bow, though his sword has disappeared, and his eyes. His eyes, she saw something in the steady stare that has decided her. He wants this, and she could never resist what he wanted.
She nodded, her tears held back by her impressive willpower alone. He will not see her tears fall. She stands and only wobbles a bit. She raises the blade, ready to strike.
He tilts his head back, "please."
It plunges its deadly, graceful arc into his pale body.
Faintly, he says his last words to his fractured team.
"Sakura, thank you." He sighs softly, and whispers, quiet as the spring breeze, "tell Naruto I wasn't worth saving."
There are more words that die with him. Important things he never did find the time to say, or the right words to use. That they meant everything to him, that they should stop chasing him, he was sorry for making them cry. He didn't mean for it to end this way. Most importantly, sorry.
His eyes close, and with that, the last of the Sharingan users, the famed Uchiha, passes into the next world. He wears a soft smile that was not seen in life. Not on his face or any other of the cursed Uchiha. They died with crimson in their eyes, the cursed clan. His eyes are dark, and full of regret for what has transpired.
Sakura holds him then, as she could not in life. She croons into his hair, the litany of why he is loved. Why they chased after him. She won't wash his blood off her clothes, nor will she look away from what he has become.
He still deserved better.