Fanfiction/Songfic/Anime/Naruto/SasuSaku
Author's Note: I don't own Naruto or the song. First Fanfiction, therefore constructive criticism will be much appreciated. English is not my first language.
Re-Awakening.
Song: Breaking your own heart by Kelly Clarkson
Soft foot-steps echoed through the great walls of the Uchiha Clan that once stood proudly. He shook his head, a frown forming on his usual stoic face. Annoying, he caught himself thinking unconsciously.
Shaking your head, like its all wrong
Sharpening his Kusanagi, Sasuke Uchiha sat cross-legged in the middle of the Grand Uchiha Manor, his frown still intact as he waited tirelessly for what has been a part of his routine for the past three years.
"Evening Sasuke!" he heard the all-too-familiar cheerful voice say, "How have you been?''
It was that same stupid question every godforsaken day.
"Apologies for coming a little late... I was busy at the hospital." of course. "You will not believe what happened to this little boy-!"
And like always, she initiated conversation to something he would never listen nor give a damn about.
Before you're here, you're already gone
"...luckily, though, it wasn't anything major. I'm just glad-"
"Just get to it, Sakura."
He was never a patient one. Why else would he have chosen that horrid, horrid path for power all those years ago?
Stuttering inaudibly under her breath, Sakura quickly began examining his eyes, the green glow of her hands immediately soothing the pensive Uchiha (not that he would ever admit) even if only for a minute.
Once obsidian, similar to the sky on a starless night; Sasuke's eyes were now the colour of smoke, the aftermath of abusing his Kekkei Genkai.
Power always did reduce men to their lowest.
And even with the light all around you, you're all alone in the dark
Sasuke frowned again. Sakura has been quiet for a little over ten minutes now. What irked him more was that his hostile nature had never really gotten his former team-mate to shut up for so long. Even after all these years, it still usually took Sakura a minute or two to brush off his bluntness & be her happy, naive self again.
"When will they be of use."
His own question caught himself off-guard & he could tell Sakura was too, as she stiffened for a brief second to pause her ministrations mid-way, before slowly taking her hands back to her sides only to (hesitantly) lift them up to his face to give his right eye one last check before proceeding to pack her medical kit.
"I'm trying," she finally said after what seemed like ages.
But not even vanquishing a thousand Shinobi in the state of a new-born mole would have left him prepared with a come-back for what Sakura said next.
"I'm trying, Sasuke," she repeated. "But you keep breaking your own heart.''
And with that, the pink-haired Medic got up & left.
You're breaking your own heart
Taking it too far down the lonely road
You say you just want love
But when it's close enough, you just let it go
The very thing you've been the most afraid of
You've been doing it from the start,
Breaking your own heart
Sasuke threw another shuriken at the tree he was target-practicing with in the Uchiha compound, waiting impatiently for the once familiar sound of metal hitting bark. Once. Once too long, he thought grimly.
His anger rose when the metallic clank was instead replaced by a dull thud, alluding he had missed again.
Forcing himself to take a deep breath to calm his nerves, Sasuke did a mental count.
Four hits, seven fails.
Four hits, seven fails.
Seven fails.
Disgusted at his pathetic condition, the sole-surviving Uchiha fought the urge to scream in frustration until his lungs bled & refrained from lighting up the entire compound with his famous Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu & instead, settled to crouching ground level, covering his face with his arms. He suddenly felt so... weak.
Too many tears, too many falls
"YO TEME!"
Naruto. No. Please, not now.
"WHAT-UP MAN!? WHA-! What the...? Oh. Oh... okay... hey, dude, you're not... crying... are you!?"
Sasuke's head immediately shot up, the infamous Uchiha death glare handsome on his perfect features. Although the glare was directed at the blonde, it literally was not.
Jumping off the tree he had found the previous missing-nin target-practicing with, it broke the future Hokage's heart to see the proud Uchiha in such a vulnerable state glaring at empty space. Wishing not to humiliate his best friend further, Naruto quietly added, "I was thinking maybe we could spar sometime... ya'know, like the old times."
Realizing his error, Sasuke immediately turned his head to the direction of his comrade's voice, mixed feelings of anger & embarrassment building up inside him. His only response was his intensifying glare.
He heard Naruto take a seat beside him, "I can help you, ya'know, if you aren't such a darn prick all the time. At some point, you'll have to let us in. Forgive & forget, we've done that, I know it ain't easy for you, but how can you stand if you have your past weighing you down?"
Sasuke didn't respond. Why should he?
Naruto softly sighed, "Sasuke, tell us how to help you-"
"By leaving me the hell alone."
Naruto chuckled, but it sounded sadder than anything else. Putting a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, he said, "& you call me an Idiot. You know we can never do that."
"Then you're wasting your time."
"Even you don't believe-"
"Stop trying to be my shrink! Stop pretending to know things about me when you don't! Stop coming around & just leave me the fuck alone!" Sasuke finally snapped, gritting his teeth. He pushed Naruto's hands off his shoulders, before disappearing into the confines of his house, where all his nightmares began & provided him no comfort, leaving a dead-pan Naruto outside.
It's easier here, behind these walls
It's been nine days since his outburst. Exactly one week & two days since he last met either of his comrades, & despite himself, he felt that minute, almost non-existent seed of panic slowly poison him.
They could be on a mission, which was more often than not for Naruto being an elite Anbu; but Sakura almost never left the village & even if she did, she would always tell him prior. His routinely check-ups by her had also been replaced by various other nurses from the hospital. Sasuke didn't like them a bit.
Deciding to take a long walk, he regretted his choice almost as soon as he set foot out of his dead neighbourhood & into the bustling lives that filled the streets of the Leaf Village. People stared & talked, & he almost smirked at the irony how even when blind, he could still not draw out all those stupid faces.
His thoughts halted when he heard a woman's laugh. A laugh that seemed so foreign yet so familiar at the same time. At once, two chakra signatures crashed onto him like a wave, & he found himself behind the laughing backs of his team-mates who were seated at the Ichiraku Ramen stand.
Had they finally left him alone, then?
"Sasuke?"
Sasuke pocketed his hands, trying to look casual while giving a careless nod at the person who had just addressed him.
"Yo!"
"Hn. Kakashi."
"Joining for lunch then, are you?"
Somehow what his masked Sensei said made his mood even sourer. Taking a few long steps to the direction of his home, Sasuke replied, "The scene is perfect as it is."
He heard Kakashi sigh, "What's life without people you love? You of all people should know that, Sasuke."
But you don't have to walk in the shadows, life is too hard
You're breaking your own heart
Taking it too far down the lonely road
"I know the four of us have worked together. And for a while, I thought I could choose that path instead… but in the end… I've decided on revenge. That's always been my purpose of living."
You say you just want love
but when it's close enough, you just let it go
"I… I love you with all my heart!… If you were to stay here with me, there would be no regrets… because every day we'd do something fun, we'd be happy I swear!… I would do anything for you! So… Please just stay with me!"
The very thing you've been the most afraid of
You've been doing it from the start,
"I don't look to the future any more. Only the past."
Breaking your own heart
The night air is always silent in the Uchiha Clan. It wasn't dead like how it was during any other time of the day. Downing a loose night shirt & shorts, Sasuke sat on the steps that faced his current training grounds, one hand holding a kunai, while the other was propped up on his knee. He was slightly dozing off when he suddenly heard soft footsteps echoing through his Clan's walls. Almost immediately he was alert, masking his chakra while listening intently to the sound of the nearing footsteps. He felt foolish, however, as soon as he realized who's chakra signature it was & a wave of anger washed over him. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, not wanting to face the creature that had ruined his moment of peace.
"Sasuke! There you are-!"
"What do you want."
"Ah, well, anou, I don't know... I thought I'd come check on you..."
He almost wanted to laugh at her.
Almost.
"Cheh, no need. One of the nurses already came this evening," he responded smugly, "You can leave now. I do not intend on hearing your lies."
"Sas- I... what're you talking about!?" Sakura asked him confused.
"Go out the way you came."
Then there was silence. He never heard Sakura leave, but the stillness of the night made him wonder of her presence. "I don't like repeating myself-"
"I would, Sasuke, if I honestly didn't think you were crazy," she paused to take a breath, "I don't know which nurse exactly you are talking about, but it was me who came this evening to check up on you, the same as I have been doing for the past three years."
"Bullshit. I saw you at Ichiraku with the Dobe," Sasuke snarled angrily.
"Well, whoever you claim to have seen isn't me or Naruto. He's been gone on a mission for a week now & I've been busy in the hospital since I last came to see you today!" the young Kunoichi said exasperatedly, "& how could you have seen us, anyway?" the young girl paused for a minute before quietly adding, "You can't see, Sasuke."
And at that moment, everything dawned on him; walking out on Naruto, Sakura coming in to check-up on him later that day, Naruto coming the next day to tell him he'd be gone for a month, Sakura's daily visits, taking that walk around the village, meeting Kakashi... what Kakashi told him.
Sasuke suddenly felt weary, the forgotten kunai in his hand dropping to the floor with a soft 'thud' while his other hand reached for his aching head, feelings of nausea spreading over his body. He felt Sakura grip him strongly by the shoulders, muttering nothings to him. His kunai-free hand automatically snaked its way around her hips whiles the other followed suit to keep his balance. Sasuke felt Sakura snake her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her so that his head rested on her chest. Sakura stroked his head with the green chakra emitting from her hands & it took him a while to finally understand what she has been saying throughout, "its okay, Sasuke. I'm here. I'm still here, Sasuke."
It's not too late, I'm still right here
"-kun."
If only you can let go of your fear
"Ah, of course! Sasuke-kun."