Between the Shadow and the Soul


Because even when he grew up to be the demon who'd ruin her life, she was drawn to him. And even when he was the demon who ruined her, he'd learn how to fix her - even when it meant bringing her along to hell. ...In secret, between the shadow and the soul.


Chapter I: Persephone


Was it the rain, or the way his lips moved with hers? Or the light that blended in with her tear-stained eyelids? How was he able to make her come undone?

Once again.

What was it with him, always, always making her resolve waver? Hadn't he tried to kill her twice? Thrice, to date? And yet, she clung to him like a drug. But why was he here, every time the moon was full, or when the sky was dark. Or just when he felt it on a whim.

Had she, too, became a drug that intoxicated him to the point of forgetting the cruel life his own life had come to? Or was that just her own heart whispering it to his?

It had been two months since he started visiting her, months since he had acquired a new set of eyes, months since the start of the Shinobi War and she was living in a makeshift camp. He had followed her in an attempt to ambush the squad, but she caught him alone.

They fought; she tricked him and drained him off his chakra. But just when she was about to turn him over to the Alliance, he made her falter again, in a heated argument resulting that unexpectedly escalated to passionate murmurs. Since then, a sinful yet senseless rendezvous was pursued.

No matter how much she convinced herself this was wrong, she'd go back to it. Heck, she even showed him a safe backdoor passage to her room, and a good time to visit. And he'd see her time and time again. Someday, she knew, he'd really be her downfall.

But wasn't he already one? Her friends have been fighting the war for so long, and yet she was here, with him, night after night.

He was a monster who crept to her bedroom window when everyone was sleeping. And she was the girl who'd always, always choose hell.

Persephone.

She had tasted pomegranates of the Underworld and longed for it. For when hell would feel this good on her lips and on her skin, and when hell could kindle a raging fire on her blood, who wouldn't want to stay?

Then again, her conscience continued to bother her. "Why do you come, Sasuke?" she would ask. "What is it that you want?"

"Does it matter?" he would reply, as he resumed playing with her hair. And always he would say nothing more. In the end, her descend to his realm of darkness would always leave her in a bliss.

This time, he kissed her even deeper; his touch left a trail of burns to her soul. And Sakura felt the heavens wept for her downfall. The raindrops that clung to Sasuke's hair and to his shirt were singeing her in icy cold. Her only consolation was the heat of his hand and of his tongue.

And the gods grieved even more when he asked her what she had always wanted to hear. "Let's go, Sakura. Let's leave everything behind."

For she had thought little of her friends and of the war and of the lives she could have saved; and on a whim, she answered, "Yes."


AN: New fic! :) This is a prologue for my new project. And this was a prompt submitted in one of the photo prompt (Will post photo as my new FF pic) challenges in SasuSaku-Month at LJ before the actual SSMonth began. I can't stop thinking about it, so I decided to polish it as a new series. I hope you'll like it. It'll feature this evil side of Sasuke, and I'm actually excited about it.

Don't worry, my old readers, Of Waiting will be published side by side with this (will publish new chap after this).

Title Reference and last sentence in summary: A passage from Sonnet XVII by Pablo Neruda

Enjoy!~ Tell me what you think! :3

Disclaimer: Standard Naruto Disclaimer applies.