The Fallen Swan

Act II

The characters from "Naruto" belong to Masashi Kishimoto


"He has already left." Ino's words resounded in her ears as she opened her eyes to the dimly lit stage, everyone had left and yet here she reminded. She almost felt paralyzed to this spot, her comfort blanket that was the stage. The man in the booth left after Sakura's last dance and without much to say at all, but she couldn't shake the feeling that it was Sasuke.

It couldn't have been him, and if it was him why would he hid himself? What did he want? She wondered as she vaguely heard the staff clean up around her from tonights performance, shutting everything down while she stood center stage. Still in her costume, not able to leave the stage she couldn't. Not yet.

She lifted up her arms slowly as they made a circle in front of her body, as if she were holding a beach ball. She had to shake this feeling off, she wanted nothing more than to forget about that man. She felt her right foot start to lead the way as she turned upon it doing piqué after piqué, her body almost moving on its own to the music in her head.

Who was that man? Why did he want to see her so badly? If Sasuke was back, would he talk to her? Would she talk to him? She almost showed no emotion in her face as she turned faster before she slowly stationed herself in one place doing one pirouette turn after another. Her usual strong core slowly faltered as her thoughts wandered, what was she going to do? Naruto had never left her side and if Sasuke came back, what would Naruto do? What would she do? She would not take him back..or would she? No! He left her!

She almost shouted to herself inwardly before she felt herself lose her balance, as she faltered and tried to catch herself. Alas, it was a failed effort before she fell down onto the floor. She sighed and landed on her knees her arms keeping her up, as she hunched over herself. She couldn't believe she fell out of her pirouette, she had not done that in years.

She did not know how long she stayed on the floor before she felt a gentle touch of a hand on her shoulder, she was [although she hated to admit it] a bit scared to look at who's hand it was. Before she knew it the hand slid down her arm slowly and gently took her hand in his and lifted her up to face him. Her eyes widened as she stared into the ocean blue eyes that stared back at her in a comforting gesture.

"Sorry for missing the performance tonight Sakura-chan" Naruto whispered to her as he smiled back at her, she continued to stare at him for a few moments before she shook her head and placed on her famous fake smile. "Forget it Naruto, I understand you had to work." Naruto pulled her closer before whispering in her ear, "I'm not sure what is wrong, but I will be your partner until you are ready to go."

Sakura looked over at Naruto as he slowly brought her to arms length as she said nothing but turned away from him and began to let her right leg lead her once more, in a series of piqué turns around Naruto. She knew that Naruto knew the basics of being a partner, and he only knew them because he wanted to dance with her from time to time. He would tell her that he felt he could know her better, and share something with her while she danced.

She inwardly hoped it wasn't Sasuke, Naruto had sacrificed so much to stay with her, to always be with her. Yet, she was always unfair to him and kept him at arms length, but there were those times she let him just a little closer. She felt herself turn towards him as he held out his hand to her and let her turn inwardly towards him before he dipped her with one arm looking down at the woman before him.

Naruto dropped his head close to her own face as he whispered close to her ear, "Sakura, I will always be here for you." Without a second thought his breath lingered on her neck, tickling her skin before he placed a soft gentle kiss upon her delicate skin in the middle of her neck. Sakura was surprised but she said nothing as Naruto pulled her up slowly and held her close to face him.

Sakura's eyes softened as she slowly backed away, "Let me change and we can go Naruto..thank you for being my partner." She turned and quickly ran off the stage, and behind the curtain going down beneath the center stage to her dressing room. Her heart felt sick as she placed a hand on her chest and looked at herself in the mirror and smirked at her own reflection, "Your disgusting.." She whispered to herself as she slowly took off her pointe shoes placing them delicately in her bag.

She slowly took off her costume along with her tights as she placed on a white loosely t-shirt with a royal blue sweater, with a pair of skinny jeans to finish off her look with black converse shoes. She grabbed her bag and placed it on her shoulder before she walked up the stairs to see Naruto waiting for her. "Thank you for waiting Naruto."

Naruto smiled and winked at her, "No problem Sakura-chan, ready to meet up with the others? I have already got a call from Shikamaru wondering where we are." Sakura smiled with a nod as she looped her arm with his, "Yes, of course lets go get something to eat."

Naruto nodded and lead her outside and down the street to a small cafe that they always went to after a performance usually. It was just a couple of blocks down from where they performed and it was just a little hole in the wall but those are the best places, they always thought. Sakura and Naruto stepped into the cafe and the group of dancers and their boyfriends waved in their direction.

All of Sakura's friends she had made while she was in New York sat around the table, with their boyfriends or, just friends she wasn't sure sometimes. Shikamaru sat next to his newly formed relationship with Ino while Tenten the flexible back bended out of all of them alongside with her boyfriend Neji, with the shy but graceful Hinata sitting at the end of the table with their spunky and youthful bushy browed Rock Lee.

"Sakura-chan! Naruto! Finally you have arrived, ah the power of youth come sit next to me Sakura-chan!" Rock Lee yelled out as Sakura smiled and giggled before she sat by him and Naruto sat on the other side of Sakura. As Ino waved her hand in the air at the two of them and grinned, "You guys came just in time because we were just talking about the man in the booth!"

Naruto arched a brow and looked at them with a laugh, "The man in the booth? What are you talking about?" Ino glanced at Sakura who just took a sip of her water before Ino continued with a smile, "Well there is a guy that sits in the same balcony booth every time we have a performance and outbids anyone who wants to sit there. Shikamaru recently started to work to cater that room and just watch over it and he saw what the man looked like!"

Sakura glanced over at Ino she wanted to tell her to stop, she didn't want to hear for fear that it might be the man she had been fearing. Ino didn't even bat another eyelash before she continued, "Well the man doesn't say very much, and Shikamaru says he is very built, he has these dark coal eyes but he swore he saw them flash red. I told him I thought he was crazy maybe it was the reflection of the lights, and he has dark hair. He sounds handsome." Shikamaru arched a brow at Ino but she laughed and shook her head, "Of course not as handsome as you!"

The group erupted into laughter before little chatter around them began, Naruto glanced back at Sakura to see her reaction. She was good to keep her head down as she began to eat her food quietly to herself. Naruto felt his stomach turn as he realized she was probably thinking the same thing he was, it was Sasuke. It had to be him, and in all these years he thought he would never come back. Yet, it sounded as though he was there would Sakura take him back?

He slowly sat back down against his chair as his mind wandered for a moment thinking about the events of that day, and Sakura's strange behavior. They had come so far in those three years and he thought she was healing, and now the sound of him coming back had struck a cord with her. No matter how hard he tried Naruto knew that he was second in Sakura's heart. He loved her and would do anything for her, and even if she only loved him a little and wanted him to be close he knew he didn't have her..not all of her.

As the dinner went on their friends mad jokes here and there, Ino got a little tipsy and Shikamaru had to kindly guide her out. Tenten kept on making remarks into Neji's ear and they soon followed Ino and Shikamaru leaving quickly. Hinata went on mumbling things quietly as Rock Lee tried to hit on Sakura once more. He did mention to her he wanted to practice with her before the performance tomorrow night since he was to be her partner tomorrow. She agreed to meet him at the studio hours before, and soon the four of them went their separate ways.

Well almost, Naruto walked Sakura home and the whole time they stayed in silence. Each of them trapped in their own thoughts about one another and about Sasuke. Even though neither of them wanted to admit that was what they were thinking. Sakura took out her keys to her apartment and started to open her door when Naruto placed his hand on her wrist, "Hey Sakura about tonight.." He trailed off as he looked into her eyes, he couldn't tell what she was feeling and he hated that. She had encased herself inside a music box, dancing around and around when the music came on and expressing herself with when the lights came on and the music started. Once the music was over and the performance was done she would close off her music box to anyone else and hid away inside until the next performance.

Naruto couldn't think of anything to say instead he leaned down, coming within in inches of her lips before she slowly turned her head and he gave her a kiss on the cheek. She smiled gently and gave him a kiss on the other cheek and said gently, "Thank you for walking me home Naruto, your so sweet I will see you tomorrow. Your coming to my performance right?"

He was a bit taken back but smiled and nervously rubbed the back of his head as he nodded, "Yes of course Sakura-chan I will be there, goodnight!" He then turned and walked away from her building and down the street. She sighed before pushing the door open and walking inside. She was cruel, and she knew it. Why didn't she just let him go? She couldn't give him everything and yet she was being selfish in wanting his company, in wanting more.

She threw her keys in her little key bowl and pushed on the answering machine button. One was from her instructor Haku telling her about Rock Lee dancing with her, and the other was from Rock Lee himself and how excited he was to practice and to be prepared to bring out her most youthful side tomorrow.

Sakura slowly took her pinkish hue of long locks of hair down from her bun, before she slipped off her clothes and into her pajamas. She was too tired to shower, she would get to that in the morning

-Dream Sequence-

"Here you go Sakura a present from your momma," The figure said to her not being able to see her face Sakura took the box and opened it up to see a pair of red pointe shoes. She was told the story at a young age of a girl who got a pair of red pointe shoes, and once she put them on she couldn't stop dancing.

She began to dance, and she did leap after turn and turn her body began to change. She felt her life dance around her from the time she started dance at age 6 to the present time, of when she turned twenty. She slowly stopped turning as she looked at Naruto, his arms outstretched ready to catch her as she began to run into him.

She jumped into the air and smiled at him before he changed, and became Sasuke the boy who left her at 17. She let out a scream as he caught her and held her close, she struggled to get away from him but he turned her in his arms and began to dip her as his hand ran up her leg, his breath lingering on her skin. His face inches from hers, his lips just barely above her own as he looked into her eyes and whispered gently, "You can't dance in sorrow forever Sakura." She went to protest but as his lips drew nearer she felt powerless and as he got closer she felt her heart beating louder, and louder and louder.

-end dream sequence-

beep beep beep beep beep beep

Sakura growled as she realized she was on her floor right beside her bed, she cursed the dream she just had and arched a brow looking at her phone. Seeing texts from Rock Lee reminding her to be at the studio at noon. She glanced at the clock and realized she had slept in until 11. She was going to be late if she didn't get going.

She quickly took a shower just to freshen herself up and get all of the hairspray out of her locks from the night before. She placed it in a simple ponytail and ran downstairs to grab a bowl of cereal. As she grabbed her things in her bag for the day she quickly ran outside in her black jazz pants with a pink halter top.

As she locked the door and began running down the street she realized there was a black car there parked across her street she had never seen before. She stopped for a moment to look back at it but thought nothing of it, feeling silly for even thinking about it before she rounded the corner and ran down a few more blocks before entering the building their studio was at.

Lee, had given her a hard time for appearing late she had apologized but as he began to falter her she only stopped and shook her head with a grin. The whole practice was like that with every flattery word she would tell him that flattery would get him nowhere and his only reply would be, "maybe someday."

An hour had passed before Sakura grabbed her water bottle and took a few sips out of it, as she took her small break there was a knock on the door and she turned to look at it. Thinking it was strange since the whole company would not be there until about 3 in the afternoon, Lee yelled out for the intruder to come in.

A man that was taller than Lee stepped into the room, he had a hood on that hid his face and his hair pretty well and Lee grinned going to greet the man. "Welcome sir, I am so glad you came. Sakura, I wanted to surprised you this man wants to learn more about dancing and since he just moved back from over seas I offered for him to dance with you."

Sakura was a bit taken back by him volunteering her but she merely hid it behind her mask as she smiled at him and nodded, "Of course I would love to help, but he needs to take off that hood so he can see when I am coming in his direction."

Lee laughed and nodded, "Of course, of course. Now if you would sir please step onto the floor and I will turn some music on for the both of you." Sakura walked up the man as his slid his hood off revealing blond hair and blue eyes staring back at her, "Thank you for helping me." He said in a deep voice that almost sounded familiar, it couldn't be Sasuke because he had neither blond hair or blue eyes.

She tried to shake the feeling of him being there standing in front of her, she was probably only thinking it because of her dream. She then shook her head and smiled back at him, "It is nothing I am just glad I could help you sir, now we will start with basic turns but just standing right here. We will do running lifts later if you are up for the challenge."

He said nothing but merely nodded as she lifted up her right leg onto his shoulder and her hand on his free shoulder. "Now slowly move in a circle while holding onto me, you may try walking I will lessen my weight as you hold me so it will be easier to drag." He nodded as his hand came in contact with her wrist, her eyes slowly widened as he ran his hand along her waist before finding the perfect spot. The way it felt was familiar and she yet again told herself to stop thinking it was Sasuke, he was only doing what he was told and before both of them knew it he had dragged her across the floor slowly.

She then tried to see if he could keep up as he stopped walking for a moment she lifted her leg from his shoulder and turned to the 'audience,' and without missing a beat he began to lower her. His right arm sporting her while his left hand ran along her leg that was in the air not even moments before, she almost shivered at his touch while his hand ran down her leg. He did so in such a fashion that made he want more, she felt foolish for thinking that because dancers were touched all the time this way. And yet, his touch was different and has his hand lingered on her thigh she slowly felt her breathing stop.

She did not stop him, and yet she felt as though she should and as soon as the moment had started he quickly had ended it as he had brought her up from the dip and close to his body. He leaned in and whispered into her ear, "I can see through you mask Sakura."

Her eyes widened and she wanted to push him away, but then Lee's claps interrupted her train of thought and he smiled at the two. "Well done sir! For your first time that was terrific!" Sakura stepped back and nodded back and smiled at him, "Yes it was I was impressed."

The man nodded at the two and placed on a slight grin as he spoke, "Sorry I can't stay longer, since this was a last minute appointment I must get going, but maybe I could come again sometime?" Sakura wanted to tell him no or just grab those hairs on his head and pull to see if that was a wig but she merely smiled and nodded, "Of course anytime." The man nodded and swiftly left.

"What a strange man, but you dance beautifully as always Sakura-chan..Sakura-chan?" She wasn't paying attention to Lee instead she watched as the man stepped into the black car across the street, the same black car that was outside of her apartment earlier. Just who was this man?


So I lied, I couldn't help myself I am so going to get into trouble.

I was working on one of my final papers, couldn't get this out of my head and so I wrote it.

I hope you all enjoy it, I like this chapter much better and it is longer.

Thoughts? R&R is always encouraged.

This time I am serious, after finals I will have a new chapter up in a week or so.

-Krisy