-When Sasuke left, Sakura was left heartbroken. When he tried to kill her, her Daddy Dearest decides to kidnap her. And soon, she's a version of herself whom her friends don't recognize.
Yippie! A new chapter! It's rushed a bit, but I hope you enjoy!
. . . . .
OMG! This is the last chapter of Akatsuki no Kuruma! Yay! I finally finished it! I'm so happy! Thank you for all those who read my story and reviewed it! You've made this fanfic my second most successful one in terms of reviews, alerts, and favorites and my third most successful in terms of hits! So thank you for those who actually read it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Oh, and for those of you still waiting for Sasuke to have a bigger role in this story, I thank you for your patience. He will be coming. It's just that his role in the story requires him to stay out of it for a while though he is mentioned in some of the past few chapters. But he will come in very, very soon.
And so, without further ado, the finale of Akatsuki no Kuruma—The Ninth Dawn! Please enjoy!
WARNING: There's going to be, like, one major skip in this chapter since things in Pein's invasion of Konoha is going to be almost the same. There's going to be something else that's more exciting to read.
BIGGER WARNING: I am NOT good at writing fighting scenes, so please don't flame me for that.
The peaceful daybreak I once saw…
Until it is placed in my hands once more,
Please don't let the light go out…
The wheels . . . are turning…
~The Ninth Dawn~
As Hinata looked around her, tears threatened to fall. Konoha, her home village… It was destroyed! And in less than a minute! Could it really be…? Konoha… Had Konoha really fallen?
Hinata's head shot up, trying to look for the source of that horrible wailing noise but only to realize that the wailing noise was coming from her. Her tears couldn't be blocked, they had already leaked from her eyes. And so she cried. And she cried out to the only person who she knew could save them all, "NARUTO!"
✿。.:**:.。✿
"Huh?" Sakura looked out towards the field to the south.
"What's wrong, Fujin?"
"I, I thought…"—she shook her head—"It's nothing…" But she continued to stare off in the direction of Konoha. She had a bad feeling… Her parents were fighting, yes, but so were her friends. Her heart felt as though it was being stomped on. She should be there, healing people like Tsunade had taught her, not here—she shouldn't have been shielded from the battle. She couldn't help but feel so… She sighed. What use was it to think about things like that?
Unbeknownst to her, Isaribi was also feeling the same kind of dread. However, Isaribi's worries were for a different reason. How much time would she have to prepare Sakura and Botan for the sudden leave? She had already packed some of their things, but they along with Shion were unaware of the events that would unfold. Plus, there was no telling what Madara would do once he found the group missing. Would they be hunted like animals? Or would Madara allow them to escape?
Isaribi tried to rid herself of these worries, pouring tea for Sakura and her.
"Shion…" Isaribi tsked as she noticed the mess the little baby was making. "Please stop fidgeting and eat your baby food…"
"Here," Sakura said, holding her hand out. "Give me her formula…"
Isaribi did as she was told while also passing Shion to her older sister.
Once the baby saw her sister's face, she smiled and squealed—her hands reaching out for her sister.
"Shion, Shion…" Sakura cooed. "Drink your formula like a good girl and take your nap, okay?"
Immediately, Shion made a face but, nevertheless, she listened to her older sister and sucked on the bottle.
"Shion really does like you, you know…"
"Does she?" Sakura asked, a smile on her face as she watched her sister. "You know . . . before she was born, when I had found out I'd be getting a sibling, I didn't like it… Another thing to take away my parents' love and attention from me… I really hated it…"
"Fujin…"
"But of course, it's hard for me to think that now because now"—she passed the bottle back to Isaribi and held Shion close, the sisters' foreheads touching—"I have someone to also dote on. Isn't that right, Shion?"
Shion squealed again as Sakura giggled, her hands gripped tightly and—
"Itai! Shion! Stop pulling on my hair!"
Isaribi giggled. "It's good to see you two get along…"
"Is it?" Sakura asked.
Isaribi nodded. "Yes. It—"
Suddenly, there was a clasp of thunder, and grey clouds rolled in. The sky cried heavy tears.
"Oh! It's raining!" Sakura exclaimed, holding Shion close to her and inside of her cloak.
"Come on!" Isaribi said, laughing at their predicament. "Let's get you two inside…"
✿。.:**:.。✿
"What are you doing here?"
"Well now, is that some way to greet someone?" But Madara, sensing Sasuke's impatience, quickly cleared his throat. "Anyway, I can't let you go to Konoha yet. I have another job for you."
"We already got you the eight-tails!" Suigetsu argued. "We owe you nothing more!"
"Oh, on contrary, the eight-tails you caught for us was just a substitution. The real one escaped." Madara explained.
"I don't care," the younger Uchiha said. "We're not infiltrated with Akatsuki anymore. We're not running any more of your errands, so step aside." And seeing that Madara wouldn't leave, Sasuke charged up his Chidori. But when he attacked the man, he went right through him. What the…? What is he?
"So I'll take it you'll listen to me now?"
"Is there any reason why I should?"
"Because I can offer you an easier way to get to the Konoha Elders and Danzo."
And at that, Sasuke couldn't refuse. "What do you want?"
"Oh, I just need to accompany me somewhere." Madara chuckled. "I need to get rid of a little pest…"
And though Sasuke and the rest of Team Hebi thought nothing of Madara's wicked tone, Karin not only felt uneasy but also felt as though something was up. She didn't like this… How could they trust someone who was always hiding behind a mask?
✿。.:**:.。✿
Naruto watched as Pein coughed up blood, Konan watched sadly by his side.
"Nagato…"
Pein gently smiled at her. "I'll leave our daughters to you, Konan… Take good care of them…"
Trying to stop her tears, Konan could only nod.
Pein turned to Naruto. "Dying like trash… Never ending hatred… Pain that never heals… That is war… Naruto… This . . . this is what you must face… The book . . . and you… It's like . . . someone . . . set this all up… Or maybe . . . this is the hand of the real god… My role is over now… Naruto . . . you can really—" And with those last words, Pein breathed his last, smiling peacefully for the first time since Shion was born.
Rest well and in peace, Nagato… Konan prayed.
Meanwhile, Naruto just watched Konan closely, ready for anything she'd pull. But what she pulled out . . . was a bouquet of paper flowers. Naruto was just dumbfounded.
"Like our eldest daughter, Nagato believed in you, so I believe in you, too." Konan explained. "This time . . . I hope for you that these will be flowers of a hope that'll never die. Let these be the symbol of peace between Konoha and I."
"Err… Thanks…?" Naruto said, uncertainly, as he took the flowers. Though they were allies now, he still had questions left. "What are you going to do now?"
Konan smiled a little, looking up at the sky. "Nagato was my only true tie to the Akatsuki. Now that he's gone, I'm through with those people, and I'm going to leave the group and go to Amegakure with my daughters. After all, that village needs a new leader to help it grow a better alliance with Konoha… I hope you can visit my daughters and me once you establish peace once more… Your ability to change others is your strong point, remember that." At that moment, Konan began turning into millions of paper birds.
"Wait!" Naruto cried. "I have one more question! What did you guys do to Sakura-chan? Is she alright? Can I see her again?"
Konan's giggle lingered in the air. "I already answer that question. Perhaps you're really as dense as my daughter says…"
Her answer just left a baffled Naruto standing there. "Daughter…?" he asked, glancing at the flowers. "It can't possibly mean…" He shook his head as he jumped off to find his friends. "Nah…"
✿。.:**:.。✿
"Achoo!"
"Uh-oh, it looks like you've caught a cold. It'd be bad if you catch a fever. Konan-san and Leader-sama would scold me if I'd let you fall ill…"
Sakura smiled. "It's alright, Isaribi. I don't think I'm sick… Hopefully, someone's just talking about me, and . . . hopefully, they're saying nice things about me."
"Yeah… That is, unless they're talking about when you throw around that scary temper of yours."
"Sharky-sempai!" Sakura huffed. "That's so mean of you to say so of your only pupil!"
Kisame shrugged. "Yeah, it is… But what are you going to do about it? Itachi's not around anymore to stand up for you."
"Kisame!" Isaribi scolded.
"What? I—oh…" When Kisame saw Sakura hang her head and her eyes gazing down at the floor, he knew immediately what he said wrong. Apparently, both Uchiha brothers' names were a taboo around the cherry blossom.
Isaribi shoved him in the gut with her elbow. "Nice going…"
But Sakura wouldn't let anyone see her depressed. She picked up her head and smiled. "Daijōbu!" she said. "I don't need Weasel-kun if you keep on picking on me! I'll just tell my dad!"
"What?" Kisame almost screamed. Leader-sama's even worse than Itachi ever was!
Meanwhile, Isaribi was just thrown into a fit of laughter. "She got you there, didn't she?"
"Sh-shut up!" Kisame yelled. "And besides,"—he turned to Sakura with a serious face on—"you shouldn't be playing all day long. Your parents are fighting the whole village of Konoha at this moment. Anything could happen, especially since that village has sprouted all of the ninja who have taken down at least one Akatsuki member—you yourself included. Your parents might not even—"
"Yada!" Sakura snapped. "My parents will come back, I know they will…" And she went to pick up Shion who had just started crying from Botan's arms and began to rock the little baby in her arms. "They promised…"
At that last sentence and at the sight in front of them, Kisame and Isaribi both saddened. They had never seen Sakura so . . . so . . . so depressed, so hopeless-looking before. And . . . was she about to cry?
"For both Shion and my sakes . . . they can't break this promise… They will come back… They just have to…" For my sake, they can't break this promise… They just can't…
✿。.:**:.。✿
"Shimatta!" Konan cursed under her breath as her thousands of origami birds formed her body. She couldn't travel in that form if it were raining. She'd be flightless if wet. To make matters worse, she had to signal Isaribi to get both Sakura and Shion out of Madara's reach. And now—
Chrip-chrip!
She gasped, but it was too late to dodge.
✿。.:**:.。✿
The tea cup shattered as it hit the ground.
"Fujin! Are you alright? Botan! Look at what you did!"
"But, Neechan, I didn't even touch the vase!"
"Isaribi, it's okay…" Sakura said. "Accidents happen, and I didn't get injured. Botan's still young. Don't scare him just because of such a small mistake."
"But Fujin! I wasn't anywhere near the vase! I can't even reach!"
"Stop making excuses, child!"
"Sharky-sempai!" Sakura scolded. "If he says he didn't touch it then he didn't! End of story!"
"Fine…" Kisame grumbled, crossing his arms.
But as Isaribi went to get a broom, Sakura couldn't help but notice that the shattered vase and the red spider lilies looked like a broken mirror with her reflection oozing crimson blood. And for some reason, that reflection—she thought—was the closest she could ever look like her mother.
✿。.:**:.。✿
Konan clutched her bleeding chest, glaring at her opponents' ringleader.
"Surprised to see me, Konan?"
"Madara…" she snarled. "What are you doing here?"
"What? Didn't you think for a moment that I'd find out about your plan to leave Akatsuki with your daughters?" the Uchiha asked.
Konan's eyes widened. How…?
Madara chuckled. "You should really be careful when you're talking with that midwife of yours, Konan. You won't know who's listening until it's too late. Did you actually think for a moment that I'd allow you to take Akatsuki's one princess away from where she belongs?"
"She's too innocent to belong to a group like the Akatsuki!" She began to cough up blood.
Karin turned away. She hated seeing a fellow kunoichi in pain. But what could she do at this point? She couldn't stand up to Madara or Sasuke. Plus, she knows the consequences for angering one so powerful… Karin thought that over and over again. But she knew it wouldn't justify killing the woman.
"Oh, don't worry. After she goes crazy, she'll fit in perfectly…"
"Do you think I'd let you soil her so?" Konan screamed.
"Ah, yes, and . . . actually and unfortunately,"—Madara smirked behind his mask, seeing Konan coughing up more blood—"you won't be around long enough to see your daughter suffer for her parents' mistakes. Your baby, too."
Karin's eyes widened at that, and she turned to Madara, hoping that he was just joking. But to her dismay, he wasn't. How could he be so cruel?
"Bastard!" Konan continued to cough up blood. "Leave my daughters out of this! They're far too innocent to get caught up in all of this!"
"Well, you should have thought of that before working against me, Konan."
"Bastard! I promise you, you'll die a horrible death!"—her eyes quickly glanced at Team Hebi, staying on Sasuke for just a split second, then back at Madara—"If not by your subordinates then by my daughter's hands!"
"Ha! Your words have no hold on me!" the Uchiha boasted. "Even if you continue to curse me till your death, I will not die. Your daughter is far too weak to even have the slightest chance of killing me. And besides, I do not take the word of a dying woman so seriously."
✿。.:**:.。✿
As Sakura lulled Shion to sleep with Botan by her side, Isaribi couldn't shake off such a bad feeling. Why didn't Konan send the signal yet? Did something happen to her? She prayed and hoped that the mother of the two children she watched was only being delayed. Madara did not know of their plan… He was busy with something else… Konan was only delayed…
And unbeknown to her, Sakura was praying for the same thing. Her parents should've been back by now… What was taking them so long?
✿。.:**:.。✿
Konan, all alone now, could feel her heart slowing. Her breath was heavy, and she knew she didn't have that much time left. She laughed at her foolishness. She should've guarded herself more. To have let this happen… She shook her head. Nagato was right when he transferred his eyes… Madara won't be able to get to them now… But that thought only took away one of her worries…
"SCREW YOU! DO YOU EVEN HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE CALLED MY MOTHER?" Sakura asked, pointing a kunai at the female Akatsuki member. "You're a hypocrite, you know that? Before, you told me that you didn't want anyone finding out that we're related, but now . . ." She scoffed as she stood. "You don't really care, do you? You just want another something to exercise your authority over."
✿。。✿
She slapped away her mother's hands. "Don't touch me."
"My child… What—"
"Get out of my room…" Sakura said, not even sparing a glance towards her mother. "I don't want to talk to you… Get out. Get out! GET OUT!"
"My child… What's the matter, huh? Why would you hurt yourself like that?"
"Do you even care?" Sakura asked, her gaze turned into a watery glare. "Would you even care if I were to kill myself?"
Konan chuckled at those memories. How was it that, in such a short time, Sakura could see her as her mother again?
"I don't want our relationship to be estranged…" Sakura cried after regaining her breath. "I don't want that, but I just don't understand… Why do I have to feel bitter towards you and Papa? Why do I have to feel jealous over a child that didn't even have a chance to breathe yet? Why do I always feel like this every time I speak with you?" Sakura asked. "I don't want to end up like Sasuke-kun, Mama… I don't want to end up hating you and Papa… I don't want to end up hating the baby… But I can't help but feel this way…"
"Sakura…"
"I'm not the one who's bad, Mama… It's you and Papa who are the bad guys… Because of you two, I can't accept this child as my baby sibling… Because of you two, I feel this way… Because of you two, I'm like this…" She started slapping her mother's chest with no strength whatsoever, making sure she didn't hit her mother's growing stomach. "You're the ones who made me like this…! Because of you . . . because of you…!"
She chuckled again. She knew pretty well who had spoken to Sakura, the one who had made her daughter turn back on her decision to have nothing to do with her parents. Well, I guess I have Itachi to thank for that, huh? She so much didn't want to be like those two brothers… She thought back to her assailant. Uchiha Sasuke… Even if though Sakura finds out about your reason for wanting Konoha to fall, even if she still loves you, will she forgive for killing her mother? She chuckled. It was your brother's wish to see you live happily… You're too young, too handsome, to be thrown in such a mess… Please take care of my daughter, I'm begging you. She looked to the sky. And Uzumaki Naruto… Will Sakura be able to forgive you for killing her father? There's so much uncertainty now… I don't want her to be stuck in darkness… Help her please… A tear fell from her eyes as her body slowly turned to paper. But could she go peacefully when she knew that her daughter would be surrounded only by fear and darkness?
"Botan, go get Sakura! And tell Zetsu to alert the other Akatsuki members!"
Botan gave a firm nod and ran off as fast as his stubby little legs could take him.
"Daijōbu, Fujin." Isaribi said to Konan, grasping her hand tightly. "You'll be fine, you'll be fine…"
✿。。✿
As Sakura held the little girl in her arms, she couldn't help but smile. "She's so small…" she said softly to her mother while keeping her eyes on her sister who just stared at her with wide eyes. "What did you decide to name her…?"
"Shion."
"Shion?" Sakura asked, thinking about it for a moment before her smile returned. "It's pretty… 'Heart-warming'… It's—"
"No. 'Self-sounding.'"
"'Self-sounding'?" Sakura turned to glance at her mother. "But why—"
"'Self-sounding' so that she needn't cause you the burden of being unable to save herself and for her to live by her own strength."
Upon hearing the meaning, Sakura's smile returned. "It's pretty…" She glanced back down at the small infant. "Don't you think so, too? Shion… Such a cute name for such a cute baby…"
Konan gave a small smile. That's right… Her smile grew. She's not alone… She has people beside her who love her… Shion, help your older sister please… Help her stay out of darkness… Botan, help my daughters… And help the girl who took you in… And Isaribi… I want so much to thank you for your help in all of this, and I regret that I can't. I can only leave my daughters to you… And with that, Konan's body completely turned to paper, flying with the wind…
✿。.:**:.。✿
"Please, stop crying, Shion…" Sakura pleaded, wiping away her own tears.
"Fujin?" Isaribi asked, running to the pink-haired girl's side. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Fujin, why are you crying?" Botan asked.
"I don't know…" Sakura kept trying to wipe away her continuing tears and rocking Shion. "I just can't seem to stop crying… And I can't get Shion to stop…"
Isaribi just glanced at the two. It wasn't a bad omen, was it?
"Botan, stay with them, okay? I'm going to get some more tissues." And out the door she went. But she stopped once she was in the dark hallway. From her pocket, she took out two envelopes. Konan-san… There's no need for me to read your will yet, is there?
"Isaribi."
The girl gasped, quickly putting the envelopes back into her pocket. She turned to see Zetsu. "What is it?"
"Madara is back."
Her eyes widened. What? So soon?
"He wants to see Sakura."
"Ah, I . . . I see…" This can't be good. Her hand clutched the two envelopes in her pocket. Konan-san… There's no way… You can't be gone… You couldn't have left your two daughters…
✿。.:**:.。✿
"Why did you bring us here?"
"Patience, Sasuke… All will be revealed in time…" Madara said, not just to Sasuke but to the rest of Team Hebi.
Karin, unlike Sasuke who thought nothing of Madara's sinister tone, had her hands rolled up. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it when they killed Konan. The two daughters she left behind… Karin couldn't help but think Madara had something horrible installed for them.
"God-dad! You're back!"
Everyone turned to the girl who had entered the room, a baby in her hands followed by another woman and child.
Sasuke couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the rosette-haired girl.
"Ah, Sakura…" Madara greeted. "Come and see who I've brought with me… I think you'll be happy to see him again and after such a long time…"
"Huh?" Sakura turned to the other people in the room, not noticing them when she had first come in. She didn't notice most of them. She knew she had seen the red-haired girl before, but… She trailed off on that thought before her eyes locked onto the last person. Her eyes widened when she saw her ex-teammate…
"Sa . . . Sasuke-kun…"
Shimatta = shit
Yada = no; no way!
Yay! Akatsuki no Kuruma is finished! On to the sequel! And peoples, it's called Toki no Sabaku! Oh, and peoples, I'm not going to give a name for this trilogy since almost none of you voted on a name, so yeah…
Oh, and for those who don't know, I put a lot of symbolism in this chapter. And so I'll explain some of it. Okay, when something breaks like a glass cup or vase, in Asian culture, it's a very bad omen. Usually, something really bad happens right at that moment. Also, the red spider lilies are in the Japanese language of flowers, and they mean "never to meet again." And the part where Sakura sees "her reflection oozing red blood" because of the glass shards and flower petals symbolizes that Sakura's mother, Konan, is in fetal danger. Usually, a daughter would look like her mother, but Sakura doesn't look like Konan, so . . . yeah… Symbolism in still there…
Thank you for reading this whole story! Yeah, this chapter was really rushed, but I still thank you very much! Thank you and good day!
