Summary: Burning. Everything was burning. All of her training, all of her time spent believing in Naruto, was for this moment. As the tears slid down her face, the veil of darkness reaching out to claim her, she smiled as her eyes slipped closed.
Author Note: I haven't written a Naruto fanfic before and I've just decided to start writing again after an extremely long hiatus. I am looking for a Beta, so if you're interested please contact me. This fanfic was actually inspired by one of my favorite Ayumi Hamasaki's songs of the same name, "Return Road."
Prologue
Burning.
Everything was burning. The stench of acrid smoke and flesh hung in the air; ripping its way through the senses to make itself known.
She blinked. Once, twice, three times, trying to focus her vision. The blurred shapes and colors intermingled. Reds and blacks.
Her body was burning.
Pain lanced through her being and her eyes shut tight to block out the stabbing sensation all over her body. Willing herself to fight through the onslaught, she gathered as much chakra as she could to lift her arm. The leather glove her fingers had been encased inside of was charred through. Black ash and frayed edges were all that was left, her fingers bloodied and encrusted with dirt.
Naruto?!
Her eyes popped open, frantically blinking to clear the distortion. With all her might, she jerkily turned her head to the left, squinting to make out as much as possible. The first thing she noticed was a wall of black. She reached out her shaking fingers, her muscles unsteady, and touched the dark barrier.
Soft hair matted with blood touched her fingertips, the texture coarse yet smooth at the same time. Looking down, she noticed a hand not her own. Pale, smooth, and stark white. She reached her fingers down from the mop of hair to touch the inside of his wrist. It was faint…but there. Sasuke was still alive.
She sighed lightly, grimacing as she felt the ribs in her side ache. She reached her hand back to her own body and felt the bare touch of her skin. Dragging her hand across her abdomen, she felt several things first. Multiple gashes and lacerations, six broken ribs and a possible punctured lung. She blinked slowly, her body awakening to her mental inspection, acknowledging the pain that was to present itself once the shock wore off.
Well…looks like the Kegatenso Jutsu worked.
She smirked before grimacing as the injury on her cheek smarted, blood pooling from the bottom of the wound again to run down her face; catching at the junction of her lips. Exhaustion and pain began to radiate from the center of her being, a dull ache that had begun to intensify greatly. She could feel the coming darkness, her blurred vision spotting.
Naruto!
She breathed deeply, quickly, feeling her lungs filling with the much-needed oxygen but her body protesting at the exertion immediately. She turned her head to the right, golden locks gently brushing against her face. His eyes were closed; those blue orbs that held her best friend's infectious laughter were closed. Moisture gathered in her eyes and spilled over in torrents. She had barely been aware of the rest of her body, her legs too numb from pain to even register in her mind, but she felt the distinct form of fingers clasped in her right hand. Dislodging the appendage, she grabbed for his wrist, searching out the pulse point frantically in desperation.
There!
She gasped in relief, tears and blood mixing as she cried out in ripped sobs, her voice hoarse and cracked with the act. They were okay! They both were okay…and they were here, next to her. She flexed her left hand and searched out Sasuke with her fingertips. Her vision was darkening fast as she panicked. Finally, finding his hand she gripped tightly. She held on to both of their hands for dear life. She could hear the sound of voices in the distance, yelling desperately.
She sobbed or laughed, she couldn't tell which; but they were okay. All of her training, all of her time spent believing in Naruto, was for this moment. As the tears slid down her face, the veil of darkness reaching out to claim her, she smiled as her eyes slipped closed.
I believe in both of you.