Valete
Summary: On the day that Uchiha Sasuke killed his brother, Sakura got married.
Note: I want to apologise for the non-canon depiction of the Sasuke vs Itachi scenario, which is because I had written this one-shot quite a while ago (before that part of the manga was released) and I prefer to keep my story the way, it is for the sake of the plot.
Disclaimer: Don't own.
Valete
Do you-
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Her hands clutched tightly at the unbelievably sleek satin, until the edges of her newly painted fingers turning a light pink. Abruptly she gasped as though her lucidity had returned and released the vice-like grip on the white dress.
She hastened to rub her palms against the fabric in an attempt to undo her unconscious damage and was almost relieved that the luminescent cloth bore no ugly creases; after all expensive merchandise did serve their extravagance.
The lingering hand travelled up to her face as she brushed it against her cheeks; cold.
Her reflected beauty was almost daunting in its impeccable perfection, certainly something was amiss, and it was most definitely a sin to look so whole while her inner emotions were all detached and convoluted.
A formal tap against the wood of the dressing room door surprised her once again from her frozen reverie, as a small dark head poked through the newly opened gap.
"It's nearly time Sakura-sama"
Sakura nodded her head slightly in acknowledgement but made no redundant action of comprehension. The foreign head retreated soundlessly and nothing but the silent closing of the door lulled her once more.
The glass mirror suddenly seemed somewhat hazy, but a few blinks corrected her sight, no good fainting now she reminded herself. With an almost cumbersome movement of the bulky organza gown, she heavily turned towards the side table and gingerly picked up the seasonal bouquet of azaleas and forget-me-nots.
102 she reminded herself, no, 104 flowers compacted in the bouquet; each complementing each other to form a whole. The perfection would be shattered by the loss of a single flower, or even a single petal.
Another knock resounded, yet this time a little more forceful, obviously annoyed.
It was almost time to begin.
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It was raining.
The obviousness of the situation caused Sasuke to snort; maybe he had lost a good portion of his intelligence. It wouldn't be a surprise as he was certain his head collided with many hard surfaces a fair number of times.
The water trickled on his battered face and flowed onto his lips, where the distinct taste of blood became obvious. He relished the metallic flavour with a light lick of his tongue and memorised the taste; of closure.
Despite ingesting his own blood his crippled body proved that a lot, if not more than half of his blood was outside of his semi-corpse rather than within his arteries and veins. It didn't bother him as significantly as he would have thought, he finished what he had dreamed of since his eyes first witnessed the brutality of blood, and it had just so happened to be that of his own family.
It was over.
His own brother, and the last of his kin was forever merged with the dirt of the earth and the thought comforted his physical pain numbing it immensely. Sasuke used a good amount of strength to turn his head to the side and look at the grotesque remains of his so called brother.
Not brother; enemy.
The hollow holes through his brother's chest and the severed arm are only a fragment of Sasuke's plight, six chidoris and numerous justus proved that the younger Uchiha heir was the successor. Yet there was nothing really to succeeded, a bloodied and blackened name, a dilapidated estate and a field of graves were all that were left to him.
He had won, but in reality there was no real tangible prize, only the destruction of the provenance of his adversities. Sure his sharingan had copied a few power jutsus Itachi had used against him, but it was futile. He had already completed the very pinnacle of his existence. Power was nothing to him anymore.
A violent cough forced blood up his throat, and never had Sasuke encountered more excruciating physical pain. He was suffocating on his own blood, while his myriad dislocations, fractures and wounds hindered him from escaping death's grasp.
The blackness of his monochromatic vision started to close around him, he was certain that the end was soon as his victoriously beaten body could no longer sustain him.
He embraced the peace of yellow silver and pink, while the dolorous rain still poured on his damned soul-
"SASUKE-"
The darkness receded momentarily as he groggily blinked to see the whiskered and brightly yellow face of his once best friend. In seeing Sasuke's consciousness Naruto's face lit up with brightness only the hyperactive ninja was capable of exuding.
He was half aware of a soothing wave of chakra pouring into his body, someone was healing him and he gave a ghost of a smile. Yet instead of capturing a conspicuous mop of pink and tears, he saw black and black.
A sudden emotion died, but Sasuke was hardly aware as the temptation of rest enticed him.
"Don't worry Sasuke-san we're going to save you" the unfamiliar medic-nin reassured him through her dark curtain and Naruto's face released its tension as he smiled openly at Sasuke.
"Teme, looks like I'm still going be able to kick your sorry ass after all"
Sasuke was too lethargic to give Naruto a piece of his mind, but he inwardly smiled; his sorry ass indeed.
All thoughts were deleted and halted as the dull aching pain was sedated by unconsciousness. Naruto tensed again at the loss of reaction as he turned sharply towards the medic, "Ne, Shizune-neechan is teme going to be ok?"
The ebony haired jounin nodded assuringly as she offered a soft smile at the orange ninja. "Sasuke-san is going to be fine, I just sedated him so he doesn't become overwhelmed by the pain and healed a few of his more major injuries. But the rest is going to have to be treated back in Konoha Naruto".
The blond moved to pick up Sasuke's fragile body, but Kakashi swooped down before him and held the Uchiha sturdily in his wide arms. "Naruto, you can go and wait by Itachi before the hunter-nins arrive, then come and catch up".
"But-" Naruto's retort was cut off when Kakashi sped off in the direction of Konoha, and Shizune sent Naruto a sympathetic glance before leaving herself.
"Stupid Kakashi-sensei always making me do all the crappy stuff" he looked at the body of the elder Uchiha and cringed at the gruesome sight.
He wasn't quite sure where his body started and where it ended, all that was left was a whole lot of bloodiness. "Man, those damn hunter-nins better come quickly; I can feel my ramen coming back out".
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The awful blanch sterility generically associated with mortality and healing assaulted his senses, as his eyes groggily adjusted to the generous sunlight that entered through the side windows. Was he dead? Did he die upon the field of his late brother and had perhaps dubiously entered heaven? He was pretty sure murder and defection had guaranteed him a seat in hell, but maybe Kami-sama had decided to go easy on him.
Sasuke was partially aware of the monotonous beeping of the numerous medical devices, and confirmed that he was not yet in eternal peace. He didn't know whether to be disappointed in this self-revelation or to feel a certain relief to know that he was still in the flesh.
But the abrupt pain shooting through his left leg almost drove him into wishing for the former. Despite the acute discomfort he had enough dignity left to restrain his reactions, after all dead or alive he was still an Uchiha, and Uchiha did not openly admit their weaknesses-
"You're awake"
To say he wasn't shocked would have been a lie, as Sasuke had not been even mildly aware of another presence in the room. Who would have had enough skill to have circumvented his flawless detection prowess? It would most likely an ANBU or a Jonin ninja.
"You have been in a state of unresponsive comatose state for nearly a month now"
The female stood at the far end of the room, directly opposite his bed and as far as the proximity of the walls permitted. Sasuke's gaze lingered on his pink-haired ex-team mate for longer than he would have normally allowed himself.
'Sakura?'
When had she become so proficient at hiding her chakra? Her current behaviour was abnormal; in the least he had expected superciliously dolorous tears, hugs and romantic declaratives. The once naïve girl who had bared her naked emotions to the world in all her delicate fervour was no more but a shadow under her thick lashes.
Her formal medical reports went unnoticed by Sasuke who was distracted by the ghost of his former team mate. Sakura no longer looked like a chaste and deluded young twelve year old, her thin frame was absent of the usual red tunic with the white circle, instead it was replaced by a flashy, expensive looking kimono that completely hid her essence.
"It's been a while hasn't it? Almost six years" her painted cerise lips strained upwards in an artificial grin, an antithesis of the wide, teeth-baring smiles that she had previously greeted the world.
"Aa"
Sasuke made no further reply, only continuing his one sided scrutiny of the rose coloured woman who seemed so awkwardly foreign and displaced in the stale hospital room. It was most certainly her mauve and cyan kimono that radiated conspicuous affluence that served to puzzle him the most. And Uchiha Sasuke hated mysteries.
The interconnection between their weary eyes was broken when Sakura gracefully tipped her head to the side to stare out the window. It is at that very moment that Sasuke becomes aware of her new air, a new crispness he had never know to have existed in her during their younger years.
The poise of her straight figure and the parallelism of her head's position with that of her shoulders mirrored a faint memory Sasuke had of his noble paternal grandmother. How strange that the normally flighty and terminally clumsy girl had become refined to such impeccable mannerisms. The thought perturbed Sasuke greatly; it was as though a whole new stranger moved within her body.
"Teme, you finally decided to wake up ha? Oh Sakura-chan you're here as well" Naruto's intrusion helped to soothe the tension that had accumulated within the room as the blond ninja scratched his head in compensation and held four polystyrene bowls of his usual ramen.
His foxy grin withered away as he watched Sakura recoil into her unusual veil while Sasuke remained typically detached. A fleeting despondency resigned in his eyes as he placed the ramen on the table beside Sasuke only to return to witness the vague smile presented by Sakura.
"I'm sorry Naruto"
"Heh? What are you talking about Sakura-chan?" Naruto scratched his whiskered cheek in question.
"For breaking my promise, to help you bring Sasuke-kun back." She concluded with a rueful whisper.
The tension that had lingered in the hospital room, if possible, grew even thicker as Naruto plastered on a sheepish grin. "Well, if it helps, I forgive you but I mean it wasn't really your fault, 'cause you were-"
Abruptly he stopped talking when Sakura stared at him with a look of confined rage, while Sasuke continued to gaze at them suspiciously. There was definitely something between his two ex-team mates that they were purposely withholding from him. The thought alone raised his petulance, the hesitance and secrecy made him (although he hated to admit it), feel detached.
It was inevitable that his absence would subsequently solidify the bond between Naruto and Sakura, but he couldn't help but feel; well cheated. (Wasn't all things supposed to be fair in love and war) annoyance rapidly bubbled in his chest as he looked at now frightened figure of the orange ninja, while Sakura continued to hold her glare at him. What the hell happened to everyone?
"-ano busy, right Sakura-chan? I mean Tsunade-baa chan is a real slave driver… and all those medical missions she piled on you were rough" his poor patched excuse made Sasuke wonder how Naruto even stepped into Ninja academy, the idiot had no skill in bluffing whatsoever. He kept on glancing timidly at Sakura and shooting nervous glances at Sasuke.
Sasuke felt a migraine developing and diverted his sights to the bright scope of Konoha a place he had once considered his home. Naruto quickly took the opening to dive for his loyal ramen and almost tipped the mini ramen tower over in his haste to engorge himself with his meal.
A double tap on the door captured the attention of the three as Naruto momentarily stopped his incessant gulps and Sasuke turned his head to the door.
"Sakura-sama" an unknown woman stepped into the room with her body partially bent towards Sakura in a practiced action of respect. Her ageing crown of hair was sprinkled generously with grey and pulled into a traditional bun while her utilitarian navy kimono reflected Sakura's fancy one.
The pink-haired woman lifted a subtle smile that stretched like hardened plaster. In the corner of his eye Sasuke could see Naruto's hazy gaze as he lowered his bowl of ramen, a look reserved for grief that was seldom expressed.
"Sakura-sama the carriage is prepared" the woman's voice sounded clipped and neutral.
Sakura nodded her head slightly and caught Sasuke's dark stare, her viridian eyes displayed so much emotion and secrets, yet they all lied behind closed windows. Her irises changed from their usual attractive clarity to a deep misty hue as she tore the intimate connection of souls apart.
Now more than ever Sasuke felt a foreign dread at the strangeness in mannerism of both his ex-team mates.
What the hell was going on?
"I hope you recover swiftly and be able to assimilate back here in Konoha now that your goal has been accomplished"
The toneless declarative irked Sasuke, she sounded much like an ANBU reporting to the Hokage on the outcome of a mission.
"Sakura-chan, I-"
"Ja Naruto" she cut his sentence off rather rudely in a rushed, curt farewell. Her hands were clutched in a fist as her nails dug into her flesh, an act of restraint and control.
Her eyes flickered shortly at Sasuke then moved to the ground and he could see the ghost of her tears glazed over the wide lime tinted eyes.
She quickly concealed her melancholy with a warm smile, "You too Sasuke. Ja." The temporary mirth fell from her face as she left the room with the servant woman tailing behind obediently.
Sasuke, not Sasuke-kun.
In a flash Naruto lunged for the door but despite his speed, the metal door closed in his face with a quiet bang. His sharp molars protruded in his anger as his face contorted in an almost painful looking grimace.
"Naruto, whats going on?" Sasuke shelved his innate pride to inquire the blond ninja.
"Shut up Sasuke, just shut the fuck up for once" he snarled bitterly before slamming the door open and stormed out; ramen forgotten.
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The conspicuous stench of alcohol and musky parchments permeated Sasuke's sensitive senses when a platoon of ANBU black ops escorted him to the Hokage's office. The faded wooden double doors exposed the blonde and well endowed female Godaime, who held a slightly misty countenance. They were the remnants of her prior lethargy which disappeared immediately once Sasuke entered through the door.
Her brown eyes sharpened stonily upon seeing the ex-avenger and calmly propped her chin on her fists, not unlike Sasuke's own pose of indifference.
She clears her throat in a conspicuous fashion "Uchiha Sasuke, you are a defective traitor to Konoha, a shameless, perverse felon of the highest degree". The glare in her orbs darkened with each stabbing word, and the spite was almost palpable.
"Normally you would be sentenced to an irrevocable and nonnegotiable execution under statue 246, which states that: all Konoha ninja who willingly betray their village to procure their own self-interests against authoritative dictations of the hokage or another official, shall be sentenced to public execution befitting his/her disrepute in defying the most paramount shinobi law"
Sasuke did not alter his countenance, nor did the Godaime falter.
"Fortunately for you, you have received a rare form of amnesty from the damiyo of the Land of Fire himself. This gracious clemency means your punishment of execution is negated and is instead reinstated by a minimum of 2 years probation, constant surveillance and to be re-educated in the ways of the shinobi." At this Tsunade's lips sneered.
"Which means even your Genin rank will be stripped from you, and you will have to return to the shinobi academy and start from scratch"
Her smirk deepened as the look of sheer disdain flashed across Sasuke's face, before once again been concealed by his calm facade.
The discomforting silence was tense as Tsunade sighed "If anything I feel sorry for your team, Naruto was looking forward to the reformation of Team 7 or Team Kakashi as it is supposed to be named"
He noted that she omitted Sakura's name.
"But I believe that dream will not be possible" her tone descended into one that reflected profound melancholy.
"Perhaps one day, when you reach Chunin or even Jounin, I will consider placing you, Naruto, Kakashi and perhaps Sai in a cell, just for remembrance's sake"
Sasuke noticed that once again, she had missed referring to Sakura's place in their future team; this piece of information cast a dubious shadow within his mind.
He had temporarily considered asking her about her intentions for Sakura, when he shook the notion away. Sakura was her apprentice, wasn't she? It probably just meant that the Godaime had different alternative for her involving medical ninjutsu. He convinced himself that it wasn't because he cared whatsoever is she was going to part of his team.
She once again returned to her relaxed posture and he realised that she was finished with his prosecution, before their eyes made a sharp connect and Sasuke faintly saw something within them. An ambiguous sense of helplessness stared back at him.
The ANBU guards stepped to the side when she gestured with her hands for them to let him go and Sasuke did not hestitate to move towards the door.
"I don't believe even you could be so selfish, Uchiha" she called back at him, with a tone so cold, it nearly stunned him. Because he knew that tone, it was one he had used to direct at his despicable brother, and the realisation stirred within Sasuke.
"Aren't you even slightly curious at exactly why Konoha and the Land of Fire are so lenient with a loathed traitor such as yourself?" Tsunade implored, testing his patience and piquing his curiosity; just slightly.
"Hn" "If you deemed it important enough, I'm sure you tell me without my questioning" Sasuke calmly replied with his head tilted back towards her.
The Godaime once again shoots him a probing, dark look and the intensity of her odium almost unnerves him.
"Sakura is no longer a shinobi of Konoha"
A weight solidifies in the room, and a pregnant pause of utter nothingness stretches painfully.
"She is gone Sasuke" the poorly hidden lament and despondency in her voice seeps into Sasuke's ears, but he is perplexed. "What the hell are you talking about woman-"
The disrespect earns him a sword at his jugular by the cat masked ANBU on his right, but the silver blade shallowly, yet warningly pressed on his throat does not waver him.
Tsunade waves her hands for them to relinquish their weapons, "Let me rephrase my words" "Sakura doesn't live here anymore; she is no longer a citizen of Konoha"
Sasuke almost lunges towards her, but she holds her hands up "She is the sole reason you're still going to live Sasuke" Sasuke not Uchiha.
His eyes widen as the emotion and shock finally hit him, but almost instantly fall into a vexed scowl, the Godaime searches his face thoroughly before continuing. "She married the son of the daimyo of the Land of Fire as an exchange for your life. It was a marriage to solidify the relationship between Konoha and the country inexplicably"
He didn't feel the lump in his throat, nor was he conscious of his shaking fists as his nails bit into his palms; he felt nothing that he could decipher.
"Sakura married and exchanged her freedom, and subsequently her life so that you can live again Sasuke. She personally made a marital pact with the damiyo's son behind my back for you amnesty" if he was surprised at the unbidden tears that glistened on the Hokage's cheeks, he didn't show it. Her words faded softly as her sadness rose with the ending teetering on anger.
Without any further hesitance Sasuke spins towards the door and speeds out, "You ungrateful bastard-"
Her aspersions drowned out and so does the rest of the world.
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He is running, sprinting, almost flying in his fury, anger, confusion, grief.
The sound of rolling wheels reaches his ears and Sasuke focuses his eyes toward the front of the gate, where an opulently crafted carriage with gold linings is pulled by extravagantly trained horses. A conspicuous crest is imprinted on the doors, one with fire and the phoenix.
A flash of pink enters his sight and his mind blanks when he is struck by the realisation, it was his Sakura. For some reason his feet remain stagnant as if they were permanently adhered to the ground, while his mind screamed at him to run towards her.
Go to her.
Sasuke for the first time in his cursed life cannot move, despite the screaming maelstrom within his mind.
The door is opened by a uniformed servant and she swiftly disappears into the comforts of the luxury vehicle, expensive kimono and all.
As soon as the servants and guards finished their preparations, the grand white carriage started to move at a steady pace, out of the gate and out of Konoha.
Sasuke felt burning anger, how dare she? Yet just as suddenly the image of fairy tale carriages and horses disappears, as though she was never here at all…
But she was here.
Remember-
The soft brush of her pale clammy had across his sweaty brow-
Jade eyes that glowed with unadulterated concern, "Sasuke-kun, are you ok-
A tomato, small yet exceptionally ripe with redness is perched on her palm as she proffered it to him-
"WATCH OUT SASUKE-KUN!!"-
The ice cream she had coveted lay forgotten on the grass as she went to clean his latest kunai wound-
"Here" she hands him a bulky plastic bag and turns around meekly to walk back to her own house. It contained a variety of groceries to last an entire week.-
Yellow daisies and dusky blue gerberas were sitting on his side table, and the sun's comforting rays almost made him forget the acute pain in his chest-
He walked hesitantly towards the graves, only to see that the previous moss and weeds had disappeared. Only white lilies remained-
The corner of her lips tilted upwards; suddenly he didn't feel so mad anymore-
Crystalline tears-
Dulcet laughs-
Her eyes shone with an emotion he didn't quite comprehend-
Then she said the most potent words that had irrevocably permeated his fortifications "To me you'll always be Sasuke-kun, before being an Uchiha"-
Her hands, he noted, radiated warmth-
She was warmth-
Life-
Solace-
Joy-
Love-
Uchiha Sasuke was never one to be weak and yield to adversaries; he was certainly obstinate enough to fulfil his goals regardless of the consequences. The new development was a mere obstacle he was all too willing to chidori his way through.
A familiar smirk rose to his face. His damned brother wasn't able to thwart him from completing his vengeance, and there was no way in hell (where his brother now lives) was he going to let some pompous daimyo's son stop him from his achieving his other goal.
Now she never did say I couldn't leave again, did she?
With a final glance backwards, his feet pushed forward with a surge of power as his body charged into the air and he ran out of the gate.
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-I do.
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Fin.
End Note: I am terribly sorry I had to portray Itachi as the ultimate villain (refer to note at the beginning of the story), because I have really come to respect him (and I also apologize for spoiling any fans that are unfamiliar with the latest manga chapters).
For all those who have read my other one-shot Solitaire you will understand my penchant for angst, with an undefined ending that prescribes the possibility of hope. And I do hope you enjoyed this little fic enough to give me some feed back? Any suggestions for more stories?