Wow all, I didn't expect so much appreciation right off the bat- thanks so much for all the reviews, subsciptions, and alerts- I even made it into the community, Return to Konoha - Thanks a bunch all!
TheAliensDidIt Lol, thanks! Here's that update I promised!
dazynl8 Thanks for your super awesome reviews, as always! I don't know what I'd do without you!
Plain. Toast. II Sorry about Kankuro! But someone has to die, it's war after all! There will be more info in the next chapter about what is going on in Sasuke's head, and hopefully I'll have it up before the weekend!
SectumSemprae Yeah, right on! The title of this story came from the song, "Way Over Yonder in The Minor Key", which was originally written by Guthrie then put to music by Wilco and Billy Brag on Mermaid Avenue- glad someone got the reference! Maybe I should add some straight up Guthrie into the playlist that goes with this story...
Don't forget to check out the playlist, speaking of which, the link is posted on my profile:)
OK, without further ado!
I cannot bring a world quite round,
Although I patch it as I can.
I sing a hero's head, large eye
And bearded bronze, but not a man,
Although I patch him as I can
And reach through him almost to man.
If to serenade almost to man
Is to miss, by that, things as they are,
Say it is the serenade
Of a man that plays a blue guitar.
~Blue Guitar, Stanza II
Sakura and Naruto ate ramen in silence for some time at Ichiraku's. For once, the blonde hero seemed to pick finically at his noodles, lost in thought. Sakura also couldn't help pushing her dinner around in her bowl, until finally she broke the silence with a sigh. "Naruto-kun..."
Naruto shook his head. "Ah, Sakura-chan, sorry to spoil our date."
Sakura snorted. "Who said this was a date, baka?"
That got Naruto grinning. "Nani? You mean I don't have to pay for your ramen?"
"Hokage-sama, the food's on the house tonight!" Ayame smiled.
"Oi, Ayame-chan, you know you don't always have to feed me for free- I'm the Hokage now, that job pays pretty good!"
Sakura grinned and laughed quietly. "I'm sure...I'm sure things will get better Naruto. Once...once he has time to settle in more."
Nodding, Naruto chimed, "Hai. After there's been a little time... after the memorial ceremony... I'm going to move him to a nicer cell. With a window. And if he behaves, I'll be able to sneak in some exercise equipment and stuff, so he won't die of boredom." Naruto shook his head again, "I have to say, being in charge of the memorial ceremony tomorrow is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done."
"You'll do great, Naruto-kun. I know you will." Sakura meant it too- Naruto wasn't eloquent with words usually, but she was sure Naruto would get his feelings across. He always did.
"I just wish- I wish we could have a separate memorial ceremony for everyone, but at that rate we'd be having funerals every day for the next year...Baa-chan said it's much less painful to get them all done in one day... but I don't know."
"I'm just glad Baa-chan is still around to boss your dumb ass around!" Sakura kidded, trying to change the subject.
"Ah...this Hokage crap would all be a wash without her around...arigato, Sakura-chan..." Naruto downed his bowl of ramen. "Can I walk you home?"
"Nah, I'd like some time to walk by myself." She punched him playfully on his shoulder. "Let's do breakfast tomorrow...before...you know..."
"Yeah. Before the memorial. Sounds good. Bye, Sakura-chan!"
Sakura smiled, the ritual of eating ramen with her friend had soothed her rather frazzled nerves. Then she stepped back out into the rain, droplets momentarily clouding her vision before she adjusted her hood. Sasuke-kun... They finally had him back, but did they really? She sighed and thought back to that fateful day...
"Naruto-kun!" Sakura ran over to him on the battlefield. He had a lopsided, bloody grin plastered to his face.
"Sakura-chan, I kept my promise. We can bring him back...home... now..." Then he collapsed on the ground from chakra exhaustion. Sakura's wheeling mind took in the scene- the area was full of craters and scorched earth- and by Naruto's feet lay a battered Uchiha, rivers of blood flowing from his eyes. Sakura stooped down to treat Naruto first- "No, Sakura-chan, I'm fine, just a fractured wrist and chakra exhaustion. Heal him first. Please..."
"Hai, Naruto-kun, hang tight..."
She remembered running over to Sasuke, who was completely unconscious and fading fast from blood loss... she had had time to staunch the blood flow until a team came by to take Sasuke prisoner, and then treat him from there. She shuddered at the memory.
But now what? They had somehow managed to bring him back from the brink of death, for what? To keep him locked up in a windowless, joyless room for the next 15 years? Although she supposed that he would be moved to a room with a window eventually... but what would he fill the room with? And who would come to visit him? Would she- would she regularly visit him? Given the uncomfortable, gut wrenching scene that played out this evening, she wasn't so sure...
Sakura shook her head at those thoughts, and water from her completely soaked hair sprayed out in front of her. They had Sasuke's body, but not his soul. The darkness seemed to gather around her more thickly, and she drew her coat tightly over her slumped shoulders.
Still, she reminded herself, it was a start. She looked up at the dark, roiling clouds above her head and made a promise-
She would bring back Sasuke's spirit, now that Naruto had upheld his end of the bargain and brought home his body.
"And I'll keep that promise. For that is my nindo, my ninja way..." She smiled, somewhat ironically, as she spoke aloud to no one in particular.
I know, it's a short chapter, but R&R and I shall reward you with another update before the weekend *fingers crossed*
