Part One

Chapter Ten; Goodbye

(Sakura's Pov)

Run.

Run.

My senses were alive; every nerve inside my body was a scorching fire. I was running, my sight was bathed in white, my body tired and eyes begging to close, where was I? It looked like a hospital, but the smells of bleach and latex burned in my senses, making my eyes water.

I could hear footsteps behind me- they were doctors and shinobi, chasing after me. They had injected me with something to put me to sleep as they operated, trying to get it out of me, the Jubi, the ten tails, mythical beast that had regained it's power and manifested itself within my body. They wanted it out, they wanted to kill me to dispose of it, after all- what's one life if they could prevent the end of the world as they know it?

My feet were becoming tired, the fact that I'd been able to evade them at all in the state I was in was amazing, I was slipping and sliding all through the halls- it was clear that they would catch up to me eventually, especially considering I was practically crawling, and they sounded like they were getting closer and closer.

I could feel their breath, hear the frantic shouting to catch me before I released the beast- before I ended the lives of millions of people, my body burned and began to convulse, I felt my senses burn deeper, my vision becoming blurred with black spots as red and blue sparked all around me, washing over my face so it was almost like looking out of a veil made of blue and crimson electricity.

Screams. Kami, what was I doing? I-I just wanted to get away! If they would have just left me be they would have been sparred! But they chased me! And I was so scared it just got free! And now- now I was hurting them!

They would believe I was the one hurting them! The beast was wearing my skin, using my voice to inflict snide comments on those it was ripping apart, chided on by their blood burning screams, the high pitched sounds that hurt to hear, that attack your primal rooted sense of danger, like nails on a chalkboard.

"Sakura-Chan! Please stop!"

My body stopped moving, and the veil seemed to lighten- I could see a silhouette, spiky hair, short figure, it was coming closer, it's arms outstretched as if to embrace- so familiar, the voice was so fucking familiar! Why can't I remember!

"Sakura-Chan- please leave, you aren't safe here,"

I sprang upwards in my bed, sweat glistened over every inch of my skin, my hands were fisted into the sheets violently, chest desperately rising and falling, adrenaline already pumping through my veins. My eyes settled on the room around me- it was my bedroom, I was in my apartment. I looked outside- the sun was still down. I had come back home and taken a nap the second we got back from the village, I must have slept longer than I had intended to…

My eyes shifted to the side of my bed, before I rolled onto my side to brush my fingers along the smooth surface of my travel pack. I closed my eyes, sucking in a small breath. It was still here, still packed; I could feel my resolve harden… the dream… I didn't know what to make of it and quite frankly, I didn't have the time to decide, as I took in the time on the clock I realized the guards would be switching shifts in about an hour or so, that's when she would go- it would be the small window of opportunity she needed.

She couldn't have another day to say goodbye, it would crumble her resolve, she had to get control of herself. She needed to make sure whatever- this thing inside of her was couldn't take control of her body again, that she wouldn't be endangering the lives of millions, the first time the Jubi was loose was more than horrendous, hell, the hidden villages couldn't even handle the split up personifications of its chakra. Even if it was lying, and wasn't the mythical Jubi- What right did I have to put my friends into danger? They'd saved me plenty of times; put my life before their own. I would do the same for them.

I nodded and clenched my fist in resolve, springing from my bed to get dressed, and get some food in my stomach. I didn't have much time, and the aching in my chest was growing with every second spent.

I have to do this.

I have to do this.

I repeated the mantra in my head until I was convinced I wouldn't back out. I was many things, not all admirable of course, but there was one thing I refused to be, and that was a coward. Maybe this was in some way an act of cowardice in the eyes of some- but I need to leave because I have the humility to know I don't have the strength to hold back whatever it was that had made home inside my body somehow.

I let out a sigh and watched the instant ramen spin around in the microwave; this would probably be the last time I got to enjoy the unhealthy meal inside a place I could call home. Speaking of- where would I go? I could very well survive in nature easily, all shinobi could, it was summer in fire country, more than warm enough for camping and favorable conditions for hunting and harvesting herbs.

But- I was unsure if I had the ability to build a home or fight off all shinobi that wanted to attack me, would I have to fight back the Konoha hunter Nin? Could I do it? I couldn't very well allow them to capture me, but I couldn't hurt my own people….

I can't have them recognizing me either. Damn it all!

My eyes opened and I reached into the microwave to remove the ramen, looking down at the noodles almost warily before I began slurping them down. What else was I to do? Who was I to justify my own decisions? Of course I was only looking at my side of the argument, when someone favored one side of a conversation it was usually theirs, while the other person does the same.

Naruto wouldn't see it as a desperate act to protect him. He'd see it as one of his friends abandoning him…

Sasuke- well. Sasuke would get over it clearly, but look at her as nothing more than a traitor.

And Kakashi-Sensei would send a team after her due to what he saw in Wave Country, they would never allow her to escape if they thought she was a threat. I just- I needed to become stronger. To protect those I care about and even myself. The situation wouldn't be any different if I didn't have this giant ball of a chakra monster within me, I wasn't getting proper training, this village had nothing for me, nothing to offer, no family, no peace. There were friendships and some sense of duty- but duty for what? Being a weapon of someone else's used to do with what they will weather right or wrong and expect them to follow?

To be honest this wasn't the first time I'd thought about leaving the village. There were others. Completely unrelated to this situation which made it necessary to leave- I wanted more than anything to become a shinobi- an honorable shinobi to protect all, to save those that needed her without discrimination, but was that possible as a village-tied ninja?

I sighed and pulled on my traveling pack. There was no looking back. I couldn't endanger my village; I couldn't endanger those that I loved.

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The air was cold as I reached the gate to the village, oddly empty, my pack strapped securely to my back as I sucked in a soft breath, stepping forward, this would be my last step in this village-

"Sakura. What are you doing out here?" A low, husky voice questioned from behind me, I felt my heart give a painful clench and didn't dare turn around. I had to keep my voice even as I addressed him, turning slightly to look upon his blank features, but an underlying tone of warning was visible.

I paused, "It's late. You should go back to bed." I spoke blankly, doing my best to keep the moisture in my eyes from turning to tears.

"I said- What are you doing here." He snarled more pronouncedly, appearing behind me to grab on to fabrics of my traveling pack and yanking me backwards, I let out a sigh, cocking my head to stare at him aggressively, "It's none of your concern."

"You're my comrade Sakura. It is my business." He persisted, his eyes spinning a bright crimson, on any other day I would have screamed in shock, but today wasn't 'any other day' , I wouldn't be allowed surprise today, I had to keep sharp…

I turned to face him, seeing desperation and rage in his sharringan eyes, my fingertips coming up to slowly run across his cheek, his skin smooth and slightly chilled from the cool night air, I felt a tear slide out of my bleak eyes as I bent forward, allowing my lips to brush against his, which he responded to shortly after, my hand coming behind his neck in his moment of distraction to pinch the nerves there, instantly rendering him unconscious.

I caught his body just before he could hit the ground with a grunt, looking around for an appropriate place to put him, I noticed a stone bench just to my left, and as I dragged his sleeping form forward, gently hoisting him up to lay.

I studied his unconscious face, he looked brooding and angry, even in his sleep, I brushed some silky onyx locks away from his forehead, reaching into my pack to pull out a bundle of silk, before placing it beside his slumbering head.

"Thank you Sasuke… for everything." I whispered, tears now spilling freely from my eyes as my words carried in the wind…

Goodbye Konoha…

(Sasuke's Pov)

"Thank you Sasuke… for everything."

My eyes shot open, and I reached for the kunai on my nightstand, only to realize my hand had swiped through the air where my nightstand should be, I was on my feat in an instant, I was outside… I looked around frantically, trying to remember what happened, or the explanation for the soreness in my body, or the fogginess in my mind.

Then it hit me…

Everything in my body was set ablaze with rage. How dare she leave. How dare she think she had the right to leave Naruto and I… How… She'll die out there! She can't even protect herself! How could she steal my first kiss, and then just disappear.

I heard a crunch and looked down at the stone bench I was standing on, there was something wrapped in crimson silks lying there… I bent down to pick it up, carefully unrolling it, until a peak of bright yellow caught my attention, and the fabrics flittered away.

It was a… sunflower.

I felt moisture build in my eyes as I crushed the flower in my hands, teeth clenching in rage as I screamed into the sky, I didn't care who heard me, no, I never cared. How could she do this? How could she give me this and then just leave!

"SAKURA!"

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Okay, Short chapter but I didn't really want to drag this on, the next will be slightly similar to the scene after Sasuke leaves, so you'll get a pretty good amount of action out of that.

Oh, and Sakura is acting cold because she fears that if she hangs on too tight to the bonds her and her former teammates had that they'll never be able to get over the loss of her.

Read and Review, tell me what you think about it.

-Sakura-Centric