Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter IV: Obsidian
She's crying.
She can feel her own tears trickling down her cheeks, her little silent sobs as her arms embrace the boy from behind. She can feel him stiffen in surprise.
"Don't. Don't go. Don't go running after him…"
He turns around to face her, and he can see her shining tears.
"… don't leave me here. They have already left me. Don't leave me too…"
She's sniffing pathetically, but she doesn't care. She doesn't care if she's considered weak, helpless, or even pathetic. I can't let him go, is all that echoes in her confused, panicked mind.
I can't let him.
Can't let him walk away from me.
I can't let him forget about me…
… I can't allow myself to forget about him.
Another strange dream.
Sakura rubbed her head, which was throbbing with pain, as she walked into the grey building as usual. The half-hearted 'good morning's of the moody workers had already become part of her everyday life, and even though she had only been here a week, this kind of felt like home.
Which was kind of ironic, since Sakura had never considered anything her 'home'. A home was where your family awaited you, where you could find warmth and love and trust. She had none of that.
Besides, this place was dark and crazed and filled with agony. How she could even consider it a home was beyond her.
But it was that man…
Uchiha Sasuke…
He never spoke – yet she felt like she knew everything about him. She felt immediately relaxed around him, despite his coldness, his silence, his hating eyes.
But I'm having more headaches than ever. And those strange dreams… I can't even remember who these people are in my dreams. Or what they're talking about. Or even what's happening.
I can only remember that feeling…
… that familiar feeling. Of warmth.
She walked into his room with a bright smile plastered on her lips. "Hello, Uchiha-san!"
The only way she knew he was actually listening was the way he looked at her. It seemed so frighteningly loathing, and even though she was curious to know why he hated her so much, she seemed strangely accustomed to his icy demeanor.
"How're you today?"
No response. Ever since her second visit, he had not spoken a word. Only given her hard glances. It was like those eyes tore apart her very soul to the smallest fragments that could possibly exist.
"I see that you're fine. So Uchiha-san, have I told you about the latest movie that has been released? It's supposed to be aired next month. It sounds really interesting! It's about…"
Sakura knew she was babbling too much. But it was one of her bad parts that could actually come of use sometimes. She had read somewhere that if you just babbled enough, people would become accustomed to you, and they'd slowly open up. Maybe that was the case of the Uchiha.
Either way, he was awfully stubborn. Like a sulking child.
Like a sulking…
"Don't give me that scowl, Sa--!"
… child?
"… Aww… you're so cute when you're sulking, Sa--!"
"Can you feel it?" he interrupted her ranting about the movie's actors.
She gave him a friendly smile, even though she could feel herself freezing. "Feel what?"
"The darkness," he added, with a malevolent smirk decorating his not-so-ugly features.
"No. I don't even know what you're talking about! I'm perfectly fine. There's no darkness!" She laughed, when she suddenly realized that the laugh sounded fake.
And anxious.
Apparently Sasuke could hear it too, because he cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"
"Well… uh… there's been this voice I've heard." Sasuke seemed pleased with the response. "It sounds like a voice in my dreams… just that in the dreams, it doesn't sound as… malicious." She studies Sasuke's face thoughtfully. "Just like you, Uchiha-san. Bad, but not bad."
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," she smiled widely, "that I believe you're not a baddie!"
"A baddie?" he repeated, somewhat mockingly. "You're saying I pretend that I'm psychotic?"
"No, that's not what I meant," she retorted defensively. "I meant that… I think that Uchiha-san is nice, deep inside!"
"Sakuuuuuraaaa!"
"Ino! Hey!" She smiled joyfully at the sight of her blonde friend. Ino returned her smile.
At least she seems okay.
"How're you?" Ino wanted to know. "The psych ward's not driving you mad too, is it?"
"No, it's great!... Okay, maybe not great, but you know, my new patient isn't that bad. Uchiha-san may be a bit weird, as expected of a psychotically disturbed person, but he's kind of nice."
Nice?
"So… you like him?" Ino grinned evilly. Sakura's cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink than her hair.
"L-like him? I-Ino! He's a… a patient! I'm his psychiatrist!"
"Hey, hey, calm it, what're you fantasizing about, eh?" Ino teased. "I was wondering liking in general. What did you think I meant?"
Sakura's cheeks turned even redder. "Well, I think he's nice."
"And…?"
"Ino!"
"Hey, I'm just wondering!"
"… Okay, so he's kind of a hottie."
"Honestly?!" Ino pretended to be shocked. "Wow! A hottie in a psych ward. I can already see it in front of me… the psychiatrist falling in love with the psycho… wow, that'd be a real melodramatic soap opera."
"INO!" By now, Sakura's face was crimson.
"Not a… baddie, huh?" He smirked bitterly for himself. "If you only knew…"
"A jewelry store!" Ino squealed. "I was just looking for something good for my date on Friday –"
"Wait. A date?"
"Yeah." Ino stared, puzzled, at Sakura's flabbergasted face expression. "What about it?"
"With who?" Sakura wanted to know.
Ino blushed and started to play with her golden hair. "Uh… nobody special…"
Sakura grinned mischievously. "Is it Shikamaru?"
The red that now spread all across Ino's face just showed clearly it was. A laugh emitted from Sakura's lips. "I knew you were made for each other!"
"Well… it's just our second date…," Ino muttered as she started to look at the golden necklaces that shimmered in the dim lamp-light in the small boutique. Sakura's grin widened before she turned her attention to the baskets in front of her; she looked at the colored, uneven stones in there with fascination. She picked up a small crystal the color of her own hair. Then she saw it…
… so black, with that dull coldness…
"Miss? Are you interested in gemstones?" a voice said from behind her. Sakura looked up, startled, to see the smiling shopkeeper.
"Um… well…" She returned the smile. "Yeah, I guess."
"Any particular kind you're interested in?"
"Yes…" Her eyes wandered to the black stone again, as she picked it up carefully. The obsidian was cold to the touch. Just like him. "What's this?"
"Ah… an obsidian," he informed her as he inspected the icy stone on the palm of her hand. Then, his eyes slowly diverted its gaze upwards to her face with a grin. "Just like seven years ago, no?"
She blinked. "What?"
"I always remember my customers. Seven years ago, you came here with a boy with eyes like those of an obsidian… you asked for rose quartz, if my memory hasn't failed me."
A boy with the eyes of an obsidian…?
"Seven days later, he came back, alone, to buy it… for your birthday, if I'm not wrong."
Sakura stared at him in disbelief.
"A heart-shaped rose quartz necklace…" He chuckled. "What a romantic gift indeed. However, he denied you were his girlfriend."
"I… I'm sorry," she said weakly. "You must've gotten the wrong person."
"I see." He peered at her. "Emerald eyes and hair like rose quartz. Is your name Haruno Sakura?"
Sakura's world swirled.
This was not good. Not good at all.
Sasuke felt his body tense. His muscles ached as though he had been training every single part of them too much, his vision became blurred and his heart beat fast, each beat making his head feel pain as though the beat had come from a hammer.
"Damn it. DAMN IT!" he screamed out loud. "AAARGH!"
His hands tore his hair helplessly as each wave of nausea became clearer… worse… he was losing focus… he –
"AAAH! No! Go away from me! Go! Stay away, light!"
- was –
"Darkness, save me! Save me f-from the l-light…"
- losing –
"… d-don't let it f-fool me, not again… not again… NOT AGAIN!"
- his –
"Darkness rules all that exists! You cannot fool me, light! You're merely an illusion… yes, an illusion…"
- mind…
Tears started to roll down his cheeks. He smiled, bitterly, before he shrieked again, his black eyes changing color to crimson – to the color of blood…
Blood –
"DON'T DO THIS TO ME!"
- he was running –
"Don't do this to me… don't…"
- running away from the horror, the fright, from him –
"Don't make me… don't…. do this… don't make me…"
- even if he left her behind, even if he had to leave his heart behind, but he wanted revenge, oh, the sacred hatred he shared that'd finally be set free the moment he would make him bleed… even if he had to sell his soul to the Devil he'd want that power, but –
"Don't make me, Sa…"
Her name made his eyes widen. Three black commas appeared in his crimson eyes. He wailed, before yelling: "THE DARKNESS, TAKE ME AWAY! SAVE ME! WHY ARE YOU ABANDONING ME?"
- she was so weak, so lonely… so much like him but still not…
"Don't make me…"
"Sasuke-kun, look, isn't it beautiful? It's just like your eyes!"
"… Don't leave me. Don't leave me here, alone…"
"… not again…" He moaned.
Her smile, her tears, her wrath, her sorrow… he could see it all. He could see it behind that surface.
"… don't make me fall in love with you again…."
She was falling – he widened his eyes in horror – falling like a stone – IT'S NOT MY FAULT – falling like a dying bird with torn wings – DON'T BLAME ME – falling like a cherry blossom petal carried by the brutal wind – IT'S NOT MY FAULT – like an angel, so stunningly beautiful, so innocent, but – IT'S NOT MY FAULT – he failed to protect her – DON'T BLAME ME…
He was the reason she was falling.
He roared, berserk, as he punched the ground madly with his fists.
It's my fault.
Suddenly, he broke into sobs, half-crouching, half-lying, as the tears of frustration ran down his face.
In the end, it was all my fault.
He closed his eyes, feeling the world closing in on him. But this time, his repetitive nightmares lacked the familiar cries and the blood-shedding.
This time, they were beautiful memories that filled him with more pain that even his normal nightmares could cause.
"Wow, it's so pretty, Sa --!"
"Is it really… for me?"
"Arigatou, Sa…" The lips moved to form a name. Her heart pounded. Sa… s…
"Excuse me!" Ino's voice suddenly said, with a sharp undertone as she neared Sakura and the shopkeeper. "I think we've got to go!" And with those words, she dragged Sakura out of the store. Sakura snapped out of her trance, and blinked, still startled.
"Are you alright?" her friend asked worryingly as they started to walk down the street again. "You looked so… frightened back there. What happened? What did he say to you?"
Sakura didn't reply. She opened the palm of her hand slowly, and that was when she realized she still had the rose quartz and the obsidian tightly clutched in her grip. But there was something different… as she fingered the obsidian, she suddenly realized it wasn't cold anymore.
After she had held it, it had become warm.
Guys... I have to REALLY thank you! I love your reviews. I just want you to know, I read through all of them, and each one is equally precious. x3 And also, I'm doing my best to write this fanfic... it's the one I love the most out of those I've written this far. Also, for those who wondered about the previous chapter's ending... heh heh. It's a secret. ;) It'll be explained later on, though...
And also, I realize this fanfic is proceeding slightly slowly, but that's the point. I don't like rushed relationships - or any rushed stories, as a matter of fact. Mostly when you start out writing an AU, the characters have basic traits and relationships, and in the fic, you develop them - so to say, evolve them. So... that's what I'm doing with Sakura and Sasuke. n.n It won't be TOO slow, though... you can expect some more serious SasuSaku soon!
For the readers of This Is Not My First Time, the final chapter's most likely to be published tomorrow. And also, for those who like SasuSaku fluff, Everlasting Dreams is soon to come! (I just need to finish that tribute to Sasuke's a Stripper FC on Narutofan Forums, then I'm going to release it. I've some reaaally fluffy and humoristic (and evil!) plans for that oneshot collection. :D)
Reviews Corner (I LOVE YOU GUYS! LUV YA! PLEASE CONTINUE TO REVIEW!!!)
cherry blossom petals: Thanks, I will :D
angel2559: Did you like the update this time too? ;D I'm glad you liked the previous one :)
pinky101: I will do my best :D
unconditional: Thank you :)
waterkunoichi: I feel flattered… is my story really that good:D But yeah, I do get kind of irritated with her too shy behavior sometimes and want to just yell, 'Hinata, get a grip on yourself!' like in the beginning of the Chuunin exams, but that is just exaggerated. And then there's that NaruHina in those fillers too. I think it's weird that people say that Kishi has no control over the anime. It's his series. If he so badly didn't want NaruHina to happen, why didn't he just tell them to stop hinting NaruHina in the fillers?
MangaGirl427: Heheh... XD I'm evil. 3 I love cliffhangers... or at least, to write cliffhangers. I don't like cliffhangers in stories I read, because they're too evil. D:
darkrikku13: Next chapter's here! n.n Like it? And thanks!
intoxication: Thanks:D Mwahahah, I love being secretive –smiles evilly-
honoring death: Auw... I'm sorry about that mark! Is it still left? What I meant was... try to picture this: you lie on the beach a perfectly sunny day during the summer holidays, but it's not so hot that it burns you, just relaxing with your friends with an icy can of soda and you just feel like life couldn't be any better? And you feel that feeling of, I don't know, warmth (but it's not the sun) and harmony... it's kind of feeling the light, and if you love someone, it's literally seeing the light in your life. XD That's what I meant. But thanks:) I'm glad you like it.
littlechineseazngirl: Saku-chan has amnesia; according to her memories in the latest chapter, she has with most probably been in an accident. XD Thanks:D
icygirl2: Thank you! ;) Have a nice day too! And about the NaruHina... I'm considering it. Naruto and Hinata aren't very important in the story as of now, but considering how Naruto is the main character in the real series, maybe it's unfair of me just to leave him out... hmm...
warming Sunshine: Hahah, sorry for not being able to provide you with the explanation! It'll just have to remain as a mystery, I guess... -whistles innocently- No, I'm just kidding. It'll be explained, I just don't know when though (or, I think I know, but I'm not telling you -smirks evilly-). Thank you!
Sakura Uchhia: Thanks :)
Crazy Gal42: Where can I read your poems?? -very curious- If you wrote an URL, it didn't show up. Do you have it here, on FF? And thanks for the review:)
frienz4ever: I updated! -makes a ta-dah! pose- Liked it:D
Mimi the Witch: Thank you:)
ScarletNinja123: Thanks :D
yukibozu: Thanks, I'm glad that you like it :)
purplecherry5: Same for me! Cliffhangers really drive me crazy... especially Angel-san, author of the Uchiha Sweetheart, and Haunted-san, author of Contradicted... argh! Their cliffies! -cries- But I updated:D So what do you think? And thanks for the review!
Five Random Things that Currently Inspire Tsuki-chan
Just a weird by-the-way list of the author, like Natsuki-san's "Ultra Blah blah blah" in the Fruits Basket manga or something.
Kelis - Get Along With You (remix): Praise and curses to my sister who made this damn song get stuck in my brain. The video was awful, but the song was kinda okay.
Jade from Sweetbox/Final Fantasy X-2 - 1000 words (English full version): I frickin' love this song. Planning to do a oneshot about it.
My "job practice" in a café until next week: I'm kind of sure the US have this, too - it's like, when you're in junior high, you go to 'try out working' for free - in Swedish it's called 'prao' or 'praktisera', literally 'practice (working)'. It's quite an inspiration source for my upcoming, improved version of Princess Sakura.
Sitting on the second floor of Burger King and just relaxing: What could be lovelier? Seriously. It's twilight, you sit there with your darling sister and just relax with a brownie (which, by the way, can't rival Espresso House's) and mint tea (which also can't rival Espresso House's chai tea). But anyway... it's just so nice.
Reading my old diaries: Information about happy and sad and angry times, information about hilarious or heartbreaking events... well, just exaggerate and add some more action or mystery and you've got some good stuff.
Note: This is not just inspiration for Fear of the Light... this is just inspiration material in general this week.