Hello everyone!
This will be a two-shot kind of series, maybe three(?) at most and I'm excited about it. I have other ideas so I'm writing as you're reading this and hopefully the other stories will be up soon. This is an AU, non-massacre fic starring one of my favorite couples of all time.
I do not own Naruto or any of the characters, just this fanfic.
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Nothing made as much sense
As wind beneath my wings
As I ran from trials and tribulations
And felt so beautifully free.
If she had ever felt true fear in her life, it would have been now. She ran as her feet crunched the twigs under her and the grip on her bag never diminished its strength. She would not fail now, she would succeed and she would survive. That is what she was. A survivor.
She had gone through a lot but this was the highpoint of her life so far. She was succeeding in getting away from the village she had loved and treasured her entire life. She was going to make it.
The border was a couple of miles away but it was a feat she could accomplish. As long as she was no longer in Fire country, she could rest -somewhat in peace- in some shabby inn until she replenished her energy. She could do this, she thought. She could leave, for her sake and for her-
She didn't get to finish that thought as she heard the telltale signs of a chase. They were unto her already! She pushed more chakra into her feet and ran as fast as she could- she needed a safe spot and she needed one soon, her energy was depleting and fast. Thinking fast on her feet, she did all she could. She went underground and completely blocked her chakra, making her invisible to the nin above ground. While measuring her breath, she listened closely to the footsteps above and desperately hoped that he wasn't leading the chase.
Realizing that it wasn't Konoha nin at all, she closed her eyes and relaxed. She was safe for now, and she was exhausted, so she would sleep for a while. She felt herself drift off until all she saw was darkness.
She hadn't known how long she had been out but what she did know was that it was time to move again. She couldn't stay in a hole for long, she needed air and she wasn't the only one. Taking her bag and making sure everything was secured, she completed the required hand signs to resurface.
The moon shone brightly and the full body of the white sphere made her hair look silver. She stretched, feeling alive again and stood still for a moment, inspecting her surrounding with a subtle chakra wave. She was in the clear- for now. Hurriedly, she ran towards her goal: Tanikagure of the Land of Rivers.
If she was correct with her timing, if she continued at the current pace, she would reach her destination in about five hours and a half, she only needed to get to her safe spot. Her future home if Kami allowed it. She hardened her resolve, she would arrive safe and sound and she would be happy there. She would. She had to be.
She shook the dark thoughts out of her mind and continued running, she could feel the energy pulsating inside of her and if she could feel it, he would be able to. That is exactly why she needed to keep herself in check; she would not risk him finding out about her treason.
So she ran. And as she ran, her mind only focused on keeping her speed and on her surroundings, no other thoughts were allowed into her mind. No thoughts of home, of her teammates and specially not of him.
Before she knew it, she had gotten to the bridge that connected mainland to the small town of Tanikagure. Hardly known and very safe, she had read about it in her trips and although she never expected to be settling down here, she knew it would be perfect as she reached the outskirts of the small village, setting her eyes onto the most peaceful looking and gorgeous cabin that would soon become her home.
She set a hand on her stomach, sending soothing chakra to her infant. Soon, she thought, soon he'd be with her.
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Nothing made sense
As much as tears on my cheeks
As I wrote one last letter
To set me finally free.
As any other Wednesday, Naruto ran towards the home of his sister, his best friend, his Sakura. It was almost dinner time and she always had weekly team dinners or as she liked to call them, family dinners. Sakura and him had been inseparable for the past years and lately, Sasuke seemed to be joining their small club, making them both incredibly happy.
His hands tightened onto the plastic bags that carried the supplies for Sakura's special ramen recipe, which she never shared although he pleaded. Looking at a clock outside the hospital, he zoomed by as he realized he was late to pre-dinner. Something that Sakura simply would not stand.
He could already feel the bruise forming from the -sure- punch she'd throw at him as soon as he arrived through her doorstep but he didn't mind it anymore. He had become accustomed to Sakura's rather weird ways of showing her love. Even if she punched him all the time, he understood that she loved him as the brother she never had.
Running down her street, Naruto saw his other best friend standing outside her door, apparently waiting. With a grin, he reached him and threw a kick that would have hit Sasuke just right if the bastard hadn't moved. Instead, his foot crashed against the door, shattering it and swearing as he did. "Sakura is going to kill you" Sasuke said as he walked through the broken doorway, his hands in his pockets.
"Sakura-chan!" he began shouting, "It was all the bastard's fault! I didn't mean to!" Naruto screamed, his voice begging for mercy. His answer was complete silence. He blinked, unaccustomed to a quiet home when it came to Sakura. She was always busy, either cooking or painting or creating antidotes to save their lazy asses on missions. Instead, the lights were off and the curtains were drawn. Nothing was out of place, but both men tensed at the endless possibilities.
Sakura was strong, passed through both their minds. She's probably at the hospital, Sasuke thought but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He drew his kunai and signaled Naruto to do the same. This was not a time to be lax, they needed to make sure their teammate was alright. They inspected the entire house, finding Sakura's most personal belongings missing and half her closet gone. Sasuke checked her armoire's secret latch, finding her weapon stash raided. Something was most definitely wrong.
He could feel panic surging in his chest, which was something that Uchiha's did not do. He looked at Naruto's crestfallen face as he approached Sakura's study. In his hand was a note and from Naruto's tear-stricken face, Sasuke felt a weight drop in his stomach. Sakura, he thought with real fear.
Naruto did not utter a single word, he just handed him the letter addressed to team 7. Sasuke scanned through the words quickly, the words leaving and further training popping up along. His hand dropped the pieces of paper and he looked at Naruto as he knew they shared the same face.
Sakura had left Konoha and would not be returning. She told them she had gone to search for the cure of what would soon be used as a biological weapon and she needed to do it alone.
She was gone. She had left them behind. For the first time, Sasuke did not know what to do. Anger was his normal course of action but now, all he could feel was despair. They had finally begun to fix things between them. His Sakura, they had established, had left them as if it was something ordinary. He did not even get to say goodbye. He did not get to apologize for everything and now she was gone. Walked out on them.
His body was numb and all he could think of was how she could be able to do that. The sniffle of the blond beside him cut through him like a blade, Sakura would not do this. She would not leave without a goodbye. His eyes hardened, she was forced to leave.
Taking the dobe by the arm, Sasuke pulled him out Sakura's house. Naruto was crying, his silent tears staining his marked cheeks. "Pull yourself together", Sasuke hissed at him. "This is no time for you to break down. Sakura. Focus on Sakura. We need to find her" he said in a low and controlled voice, but Naruto could detect the emphasis on the word need. Sasuke loved her as much as he did, if not more. Naruto sniffled one last time and did his best to control his heart ache.
Looking at his best friend, he nodded and together, they ran to the only person who would know what was actually happening. The Hokage tower stood menacingly but they only had one thought in their minds: Sakura.
They would find the answers they were looking for and she would come back to them, because they both knew and were unwilling to admit that without her, they were nothing.
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Nothing made as much sense
As a lung clean of smoke
As I gathered my belongings
And left a place I called home
Her cottage was perfect, she realized. Adding the final touches to the decorating of her room, she smiled at what this would become. Her firstborn's home. Her home. Their home.
She had been sending furniture to the sturdy building for the past three months, ever since she had found out. Planning and strategizing had always been her forte so it was not surprise that she could manage to find, buy and decorate an isolated home for her to endure her lasting two trimesters.
She smiled once more at the kitchen she had designed. The humble three bedroom home was everything she had ever wanted. Her room was beside the nursery and an extra room could be used as a study and later on, as her personal office where she could heal villagers. She rubbed her hand onto her protruding belly. The first three months of her pregnancy had flown by. She did not even know until she was six weeks in and she remembered how devastated she had been at the news. More than that, she recalled how Tsunade had looked at her with utter surprise. She hadn't known of her relationship with a certain man and she hadn't had to know until Sakura realized the consequences of her actions. If she stayed in Konoha, her child would not be only hers, it would be a weapon. A tool to a clan that she had learned to hate since young.
She realized that she had to get out and as she poured her heart out to her sensei, she also told her of her fears and what she had to do. It was the hardest thing she had gone through since the death of her parents as they vacationed off seas. She had broken down crying, cursing everything around her for hours until her throat was sore and her eyes were dry. Then, as if slapped, she realized that it would not be the end of her life. So what if she was pregnant? She loved the man who had given her this precious gift and she already adored the life growing within her womb.
She remembered hardening her resolve as she rubbed over her stomach, humming to the baby that was hers. She had become strong and she was not about to let that go because of her precious accident. Even if it broke her heart to leave the village that was her home, she knew it was her only option.
Remembering her decision made her feel dizzy, and she held the armchair she was currently snuggled in with a firm hold. Truthfully, she had not suffered much so far. Besides the slight morning sickness and her cravings at odd times, she was having a great first term.
Sometimes, the baby would kick and Sakura knew that she loved her child more than anything else on this Earth. She knew that she would sweat and bleed for this baby, she would give her life for the child she had helped create.
Taking the blanket that covered her feet, she snuggled into the chair and dozed off, dreaming of her lover and of a different life- one in which they could both raise their child. One in which they could be together.
Her dream was everything she ever wished of, she noticed as she woke up hours later, the tears streaming down her face in the dark cottage that she now lived in. She wiped them away quickly and slowly rose from the chair, with every intention of heading into her room to continue to sleep. The stress had affected her more than she thought and she was exhausted. She sighed and walked through the door, stepping into her bed and further snuggling into her pillows, making sure to cover herself so she wouldn't freeze from the chilly nights in Tanikagure. Some days, she really wished that the climate was more like Konoha's , she sighed, she really missed her home.
Laying on her side, she put a hand on her womb and sighed once more. She needed to get some sleep, tomorrow she would explore the town and hopefully help someone, that way, people would know she was a healer and she could continue what she loved the second most.
Smiling at her belly, she closed her eyes and felt herself drift away into dreamland, her last thought being of her lover and how mad he would be to know she had gotten away with her plan.
"Itachi."
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Nothing made sense
Until I decided not to stay
Accepting my cowardly title
I'm little more than a runaway.
There it is! The words in italics are parts of a poem I found online titled Runaway and I thought it would serve my story right. What did you think? Leave a review or a comment, I'm always appreciative towards those who take the time.
-W.W.