A/N: I went to bed hours ago… But I couldn't get to sleep and after listening to a particular song while just going through some other one-shots I have planned this fic was born. A quick, tragic beginning, and a hopeful end: that's how it reads to me, and hopefully you guys will love it too. It may read a little confusing, so apologies ahead of time. The M rating is just in case it's a little too dark. :)
The song is 'Planets of the Universe' by Stevie Nicks. It's not an accurate representation of what this one-shot is about, but the feel of it inspired this fic regardless, so as the title says: Let There Be Light.

Hope you like it. ^_^

…

– Let There Be Light –

…

"The sun has been extinguished, the moon trembling under his power. I can feel it coming closer. There is no time to debate what needs to be done, what needs to be sacrificed in order for the sun to rise again tomorrow. We are ninja, this is our world, and this was always how we were destined to die. One by one, they throw themselves at him, attacking this monster with everything they have. There seems no end to this onslaught. But they cannot change the outcome alone, not without help.

You can stop him, I know you can; you are the only one left now, the only one who can get inside his defences. It is your strength that will finally put an end to all of this suffering, this dying. I am putting all my faith in you, for I will be dead before he gets here.

Do you remember when I made that promise to you? It was the promise of a lifetime and I meant every word. I want you to make one for me, please? I want you to promise me that you will live, that when that moment comes, and you must choose between giving up and fighting your way out that you will continue to fight. For me, please?

I want you to hold my hand as I die, but please don't cry. I fall into this abyss willingly and with you on my mind. There is no blame and there is no hate, I have chosen my path. So please don't cry over me, don't give into the darkness that has haunted our lives for so long. If I could be with you, and if I could hold you one last time, then there is no place I would rather be than with you. You have brought only light into my heart and I am glad to have known you. He comes this way now, those dark desires of his hastened as he sees the end of this world in his mind's eye. I am so sorry, but I cannot save you from him as I once did. But he is weakened, you can see this; you just need to get close enough to him to take advantage of this.

So, before I go I have one more request of you. I know you will be okay one day, and I am leaving this world believing that. The men in your life have only ever either brought you pain or not understood your sorrow. I want you to find someone who will come in to fight beside you, and not just someone who thinks you need protecting all the time. He is out there: I know it. Perhaps you have actually already met. I'd like to think you already know who he is. This is my last thought in this world, and one final time, I will whisper your name:

Sakura."

… …

… …

She wiped the blood from her mouth, holding back tears. This was it, the final attack. If this didn't work then Madara would win the war and all their sacrifices would have been for nothing. But Sakura Haruno would not lose again: she had a promise to keep. Naruto Uzumaki had died fighting for the light, for the world master Jiraiya had wished for, but it was her that would fulfil that wish. She believed the baka's words and she had promised him she would see this to the end.

No tears, no giving up, and no going back. But the tears would come, it was inevitable; she was Sakura Haruno, the blubbering Kunoichi. Everyone knew this.

'But not yet. I'll save the tears for joy instead of pain this time.'

Around her stood a small army; there were over four hundred ninja, from every nation, and every single one of them were waiting on her. She was the last authority left, well the second one. But this was her fight, she was the captain of this mission: it was her strategy they were using. They knew that they might not go home, and that the chances they were going to walk away from this were slim to none, but she was the prized apprentice of the fifth Hokage, and they would follow her to death and beyond. This gave her a surge of pride and courage.

Looking up at the sky, hundreds of eyes watched as the moon shook above their heads, as the last of Madara's power came crashing toward the earth. And they knew that his failed attempt to obtain the god-like ten tailed beast had not only weakened him, but given him an out. He wanted them dead now, his goals for domination now but a dream. He needed to be stopped, here and now, and not be allowed to make it to the villages, to the civilian population.

Sakura looked around, noting her second in command and he nodded back to her, throwing his fist into the air. The ninja rushed forward, their plan being to distract Madara long enough for Sakura to get close to the enemy. He had created an outer shell over his body, protecting him from harm, and it was her job to break through it with her inhuman strength. They were giving their lives to give her this moment.

She forced chakra to her feet, running faster than anyone else alongside her.

But there was someone missing from this. He was late. It was unusual for him.

She dodging the flames of Amaterasu and keeping her eyes away from the Sharingan, and whatever power he still possessed. In an instant, she was next to him, using shadow clones and using their bulk to break through the copy that Madara now sent toward her. It would seem he realised what she was up to. He growled at her, grabbing her arm and twisting her left wrist. The bone broke and she cried out; the pain inflamed, but she wouldn't let it stop her.

Sakura pushed away her fears, her inevitable tears and the wrenching agony that told her she was about to die and let everyone down. Naruto was dead, killed in his weakened state after the Kyuubi was extracted, Kakashi had given his life to stop the last of the Akatsuki subordinates. Yamato had used the last of his strength to stop the released Kyuubi once Madara had lost control of himself and Sai… Sakura growled softly. He had been murdered by Danzou when Sai had distracted him long enough for Yamato to get close to Madara.

And Sasuke…

He had completely vanished. No-one knew where he was.

A Kiri ninja jumped in front of her as Madara turned his red eyes on her, exploding into a flurry of black fire and ash; his screams echoed in Sakura's head. The fragments of what was left of his body were like shredded feathers on the air. Holding back her anger and fear, Sakura used the distraction, pulling on Madara. His hand was still around her wrist and he wasn't expecting this bold move. She brought her other fist up, her chakra lighting up the black glove, and slammed it into that orange swirl that was hiding his face.

Madara Uchiha disappeared in a puff of smoke. But this wasn't a clone: it was a replacement.

Sakura screamed. She couldn't stop herself. Black fire trickled over her body and she writhed under the pain and blaze. But only a moment later the fires were doused. Sand; it was everywhere. So he was fashionably late. Gaara Sabaku was the only Kage left now.

"You're late," Sakura grumbled, remembering forlornly how another ninja had never been on time.

She moved her hand to heal herself, her eyes on Gaara. He did not smile or frown, his handsome face remaining impassive, but she thought that maybe he was happy to see her. He nodded his head at least, but gave no apology. There was no need.

Once Sakura had finished healing what needed healing, the Kazekage threw his sand upward, grabbed her as Madara began to rise back into the air, pulling her along with him. She was about to complain, to tell him that she didn't need rescuing, when she realised that wasn't what he was doing. They were moving higher and higher, his sand aiding their ascent. He intended on helping her get close to Madara again, and this time making sure the Uchiha didn't have a chance to perform the replacement jutsu. They were equals in this. An indescribable warmth swept through her body at this realisation.

"Sakura," he said huskily.

She nodded, understanding. It had been a long time, but they had fought alongside of each other before. She understood what he was about to do. Sakura shifted her stance, getting ready. Gaara's sand held more firmly to her the higher they rose. He could rely on it to come to his rescue, but she couldn't.

The earth trembled, that dying power the ninja beneath them had noticed now shimmering out of existence. It was a good sign.

Gaara flung sand out as Madara sent more black fire toward him. He was running out of chakra, so his Sharingan born powers were diminishing. It was so surreal, how the strength of every sacrifice, every death that had happened at the result of this man's ambition, had come down to this moment. To Sakura and Gaara, time seemed to slow down. They weren't caught in a genjutsu, and the long lived Uchiha had not been able to make eye contact with them to pull them into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan; this was different.

Sakura felt a presence; she couldn't describe it. Something or someone, as though they were standing right next to her, helping her. The red head felt the same way, but he was imagining a different, spiritual aide.

A moment later, her attention focused in front of her instead, Sakura ran forward, a stream of Gaara's sand beneath her feet to aid her passage. They were hundreds of feet above the ground, but down was not where they were looking. The Kazekage tore at the flames, ripping them away from the pinkette as she reached Madara. His sand gripped the Uchiha now, struggling to hold him in place. Sakura only had a few seconds to hit him; it only took her one.

Her chakra fist slammed into the real Madara. Her power rippled through his real body, and the shell he had created fell away. She hit him again, before he could raise his arms in defence. Then quite suddenly, they were all falling. For some reason, Gaara lost control and the sand slipped out from underneath them. Attacking the black fire had taken its toll, but he struggled to reassert his control, turning his gourd into sand and attempting to manipulate the sand that had touched the fire. He pulled Sakura toward him, breaking her fall.

Screams rent the air but even in the darkness that fell upon them, they could see the light that illuminated the sky. The stench of blood filled the air. But it didn't belong to either Sakura or Gaara. There were so few left now, the falling debris of what had once been a tailed demon had kept them occupied. Madara's final curse.

Gaara gripped tightly to Sakura, pulling on the pinkette as she struggled to remain conscious. The Kazekage didn't know what else to do. The earth shook beneath them but they both looked up at the sky instead. The tremor had been felt on ground level, but originated from the position Madara had taken just before Sakura's punch had hit home… again. The last Uchiha had been weakened when Yamato gave his life to suppress the Kyuubi. With the other tailed demons running free now, Madara had used up his own chakra and was now falling. He fell so far and landed so hard, but the impact was barely felt. It was the residual demonic chakra in the sky that now hummed and shattered with a mind of its own.

It was shattering and dying, just like the masked Uchiha.

Gaara realised what was happening and protected himself and Sakura with his sand and the last of his chakra as the explosion rang out, through the valley. It was a death throe and a moment later, the world stood still. There was no sound, no wind; everything seemed to have died with Madara.

"Gaara," Sakura said softly. "What happened?"

The Kazekage removed his sand and they sat, stunned at what they saw. They were at the centre of a huge crater, the bodies of the dead around them now gone. How had that happened? There was nothing Gaara could say that would explain away what had just happened. He just held onto the pinkette, in both a protective move and one of craving his own security. And as his pale eyes continued to survey the silent battlefield, Sakura stared up at him from her position as he embraced her. She was remembering what Naruto had said. She swallowed heavily, the tears coming now, though silently.

He had said she knew who he was. Who was it, when she was in the most need that came in aid rather in overprotective defence? Who was it, that when the news that Sasuke had completely disappeared, had remained quiet, letting her express her emotions without interrupting her? Naruto had known, even then, that there had been something between them: the pinkette and the red head.

'Yes Naruto,' Sakura thought, looking up at Gaara as he lowered his eyes now, staring back at her and puzzled by the warmth of her expression. 'I knew all along who he was.'

X X X

A/N: Sorry if the fighting seemed rushed. I am now officially VERY sleepy. ;)
It's currently 2.32am where I am. I know, I know, naughty me for staying up so late. But it's for a good cause, I swear! I blame this fic, and my undying love for GaaSaku… though there wasn't any REAL romance.
Anyway, for now, please review! Lotsa love and good night! ^_^

R&R.