◊ (10: Lonesome Brother :: Her Guilt) ◊
∆ (Konoha) ∆ - ¤ (Late Morning, 10 AM) ¤ - VP: Sakura
A/N: I planned that up until the end of the last chapter would be the end but then again, I don't feel like ending it right there. I feel like going on. Stopping there is such a idiotic thing to do. So On with the story!
I woke up. I felt weird, tired. I looked around wherever I was, where was I? Let's see, white dressor, pink blankets, pink curtains, pink hair, red clothes… wait? Pink hair! I'm Sakura?! I stood up and ran to the nearest mirror I could find. I was in Sakura's form. What happened? I looked at my fingers; I was definitely Sakura. But why?
"Sakura, you're here! I'm glad you're safe." My mom said hugging me.
"How did I get here?" I asked. As if she'd know. Of course she wouldn't Sakura.
"Sasuke brought you back quite late last night. He probably got in trouble with his clan but I'm sure you can go over there and thank him." Sasuke? Sasuke. Sasuke! Oh yeah, everything then went on. Yesterday was his birthday; we're engaged. Sora is gone for good!
"Alright mom, thank you." I dressed in a red top and black pants. It was a bit unusual from my normal outfits but it was confortable for running around like I would be doing today. I can't wait until I tell Ino! She'll be happy for me! I'll tell everyone once I get Sasuke.
I ran across Konoha and arrived at Sasuke's door. I knocked on it. "Oi, do you know what time it is?"
"Yeah 10 AM." I answered the person at the door. I looked at the girl. It was Kais. "Hey Kais, remember me?" I asked.
"It's only been two or three weeks Sakura, of course I remember you." She rolled her eyes. "Come on in. You can get Sasuke or I can."
"I will if you don't mind." She nodded and wiped her eyes. "Are you alright?" I asked her.
"Oh yeah, I am. Sasuke and Itachi just told me the news."
"What news?"
"About Sora. She's gone. Sasuke thinks she might be able to spend some time with us again one day. I do hope so but Itachi will never be able to love her like he wanted to again, it's so sad." I nodded.
"Yeah."
"Sasuke has more good news too but he says he wants to wait to share it with us. It helped his mom handle the bad news better." I nodded. I walked quietly through the halls of the main hall and exited the building to the courtyard which opened up to all the branches of the Uchiha Clan. I had memorized this over the time I spent with Itachi. I could tell you who was in every room. I could be a guide to anyone who needed help finding a place; whither it be from the inside of the clan, or the outside.
I saw a figure approaching me. She was female… with hair much like Sasuke's except it laid down on her hair rather than spiked. I recognized her to be Sasuke's mother, Mikoto Uchiha. I bowed. "Hello Mrs. Mikoto." I greeted.
She walked to me and hugged me. "Thank you so much for making my son happy Sakura-chan. I know that you have taken care of him from the very beginning and I'm grateful for this. Thank you. Congratulations on the engagement to my son. I would be honored for you to take my position in the Uchiha Clan. You and Sasuke both have my blessing." I nodded hugging her back.
"Thank you so much Mrs. Mikoto." I said. She let go walking with a smile and she walked leaving the building the same way I had come in. It was obvious that she was going to find her husband to tell him the good news.
I knocked on the door. An annoyed beyond compare voice opened the door. His eyes softened when he saw me. I smiled. He sighed stepping out of the way to allow me to enter his room. I sat down on his bed, taking in my surroundings.
"If I recall correctly, you've been in her a few times have you not?" He asked me.
"Yeah, but I'm taking in everything as Sakura would have. Sora didn't pay attention to much. We're two different people, well before she married Itachi. She changed to being more like me after that. She had to be a caring wife-like figure afterall." He nodded leaning against his door.
"My mom knows." He said.
"Really because she just randomly walked up to me and hugged me thanking me for caring for you all these years and gave us her blessing. I wondered what she was talking about." I said giggling. He looked at bit amused by my behavior.
"So we have her blessing?" He asked me.
"Yeah, she's extremely happy about it." Well of course she is. Who wouldn't be happy to see their daughter getting married? IS asked me. "She seemed a bit burdened also when she was coming this way."
"Itachi explained to her also what happened to Sora. You still haven't told me exactly what happened." He said crossing his arms. I sighed, I haven't and I really had no intention to.
"That's not important now Sasuke. We have more important things to do." I said. He looked at me confused about what I was talking about it. I sighed and walked over to him. I held my ring in front of his face. It was the same one he had presented me with last night.
"What of it? You aren't serious about getting married today were you because we have a lot of people to inform about it, papers to fill out, things to arrange and such like that. It's not that simple you know Sakura." He said. And I'm the idiot? Has he forgotten that I've already been married once and been to like 3 weddings? IS said laughing in my head.
"I've been married once before I know that we couldn't do it in a day. More like 3 months, at the least. How about it, in 3 months once everything is settled?" I asked. He shrugged.
"It's fine with me. So what are our big plans today? You must have something planned if you're here, don't you?" He asked. As sharp as normal. IS said.
"I want to tell everyone today. If you don't mind being dragged around Konoha all day. Do you?" I asked. He walked over to me, kissed my cheek and took my hand.
"When do you want to tell the rest of my family? Itachi, mom and dad already know. Mom, I told. Dad, I told I was engaged. He doesn't know to whom though. Itachi guessed on his own. So we have all of our friends and the rest of the clan."
"How about you call everyone in your clan together for dinner and tell them tonight? That way everyone knows all at once and I can be there too, right?" He nodded. It sounded like a great plan to me. "Now all we have to do is casually walk around Konoha and when we see our friends tell them."
He sighed. "Half of the time you think ahead, the other half, you don't. Can't you be one or the other?" I shook my head and grabbed his hand pulling him out of the room behind me. "Pushy much. Let's go."
"I'm trying to get you to move but you're not helping." He rolled his eyes picking me up and jumping out the window of the halls and landed on the outskirts of the Uchiha Complex and carried me onto the main path, setting me on my feet. "Thank you but I can walk." I said.
"Hm." He answered placing his hands behind his head and walking next to me. "The Hyuuga Complex is closest to here." I nodded and we arrived at the Hyuuga Complex soon afterward. I knocked on the door.
"Are Hinata and Neji here?" I asked.
"Neji-san is with his teammate, Hoshi Tenten. They are talking and Hinata-sama is in her room. I shall bring them to you unless Neji-san wishes to remain with his teammate."
"Tell Tenten to come also, tell them it's Sakura and Sasuke please. Thank you." I said cheerfully. Sasuke nodded and the man disappeared as we waited outside of the complex's central building. Soon Tenten opened the door.
"Come on in guys. Hyuugas are so strict sometimes, I don't believe they wouldn't let you in." She sighed as she led us into a small meeting room. In it were seated Neji and Hinata, Hinata was in a rather beautiful kimono while Tenten and Neji were in their normal clothes, most likely due to the fact as they were training earlier. They looked up at us when we entered. Tenten sat down next to Neji, across the room from Hinata.
"Hi guys!" I greeted.
"Hello Sakura-chan, welcome back. How was your mission?" Hinata asked. "And you, Sasuke-san?" She asked. Sasuke didn't say anything.
"I'm really good Hinata. How are you guys?" I asked.
"Fine." Neji answered.
"Tired, exhausted, the normal." Tenten answered me.
"Alright." Hinata said. "Why did you need to speak to us so urgently?"
"Congratatulations." Neji said.
"Eh?" I said.
"Your ring Sakura. It kind of gave it away, especially since you are constantly fiddling with it." Tenten said giggling. "Yeah Congrats." She said with a smile.
"Yeah Sakura, and you also Sasuke, congratulations." Hinata said. "I'm happy for you two." She said.
"Yeah, we're getting married and thanks. You're all of course invited." I energetically said.
"Yeah. Thanks." Sasuke said trying to contribute to the cheerfulness.
"Oh and Hinata, how did your date with Naruto go? I'm excited to find out."
"Huh?" Sasuke asked. I turned to him.
"Yeah Naruto finally got smart enough and noticed Hinata. Ino and I were so happy to find out! I would have thrown a party if I didn't have that mission the next day."
"Thanks. It went… well… I guess." She said playing with her hair. "Neji and Tenten have news also."
"Yeah… I forgot to tell you guys! Neji asked me to marry him!" Tenten said happily. "Actually he did a while ago but his uncle finally Okayed it after a few months and a ton of questions." (Remember Tenten and Neji are a year older so they have to be married by 18, also; especially in a clan like the Hyuuga.)
"I'm happy for you too." I said walking over to her and hugging her. Hinata sat by and watched us hug. We let go and we looked to the guys who were looking at each other smirking. The silent guys can talk to each other without words, I need to learn to understand this language. Itachi wasn't a silent type. IS said. I nodded internally.
"I suppose you have more people to tell then, correct?" Neji asked. I nodded. "Then you should continue on, farewell. Tenten and I have training." I sighed. Sasuke stood up taking my arm and leading us out. Hinata followed us out.
Hinata disappeared into one of the halls. I sighed as soon as we good out of the Hyuuga Complex. "Did you sense something weird going on?" Sasuke looked at me.
"Yes but you didn't pick up on it did you?" He asked.
"No I didn't."
"The guard said they were talking but when you talked to them you inferred from what Tenten said that they were…"
"Training, yeah, that is weird. They must have been." I stopped myself from thinking about it. They were doing the same thing most couples do when they have time to themselves, especially engaged couples. He smirked seeing my reaction. "Let's go before I go insane. Who's next?" I asked.
He grabbed my waist and kissed me on the lips pulling me close to him. When we were done I was out of breath. "You tired, exhausted?" He asked. I nodded. "Then I guess my theory is right. Come on. Ino and Shikamaru are at her clan place along with Choji most likely."
We arrived at the Yamanaka Complex. I knocked on the door. I was tackled to the ground. "Sakura, you're back! It's you!" She screamed.
"Troublesome women, get off of Sakura. She just got back. She's probably pretty beat up." Shikamaru was standing in the doorway watching us. If this were a guy, like Sasuke, this would be embarrassing.
"Sorry Sakura," She said helping me up off of the ground. "What brings you here?" I asked.
"I'm engaged." I said hugging her happily. We started screaming. Shikamaru covered his ears and Sasuke ignored us. When we stopped Choji walked over.
"Really to who?" He asked.
"Me." Sasuke said. Ino looked to he, she had a plain look on her face. He nodded understanding what she was saying, even though I didn't. "Can we go in now?" He asked.
"Yeah sure, come on in Sakura." We walked into the house. I sat down with Sasuke. "So when is it going to be?" She asked.
"In 3 months, I want you to be my maid of honor." I said happily.
"Cool. Thanks. So who else knows so far?" Ino asked.
"Sasuke's mom, dad and his brother as well as Tenten, Neji and Hinata. You guys do too now so that's it. Did you hear that Neji and Tenten are getting married too?" She nodded.
"I'm excited for everyone. I can't wait; this is going to be a great year." I nodded.
Ino and I talked for a long while and then Sasuke and I left to go find the remaining 4 people. Of the Konoha 12 ninja that were in our class that are now ANBU Jounin we had told 6 of them, half, with 8 of them knowing, 2 of them being us. Sasuke and I walked along the road when we came to Ichiraku Ramen.
"Oi Hokage! You're going to eat all the ramen." I heard a loudmouthed ninja said. It was Inuzuka Kiba.
"Now I'm not, I'm going to eat my fill of ramen since I'm paying for it, so don't complain." Naruto, an even bigger loudmouthed ninja yelled back.
"Alright, if you're paying." Kiba said calming down said calmly, but still rather loudly. As we closed in to the stand Shino was sitting next to them, seemingly unfazed by their loud, annoying voices.
"Naruto, hi!" I said waving to him. He ignored me.
"Oi Naruto! Pay attention. We're talking to you." Sasuke called. Naruto turned around.
"Hey it's you two. Welcome back!" He said waving. "Come eat Ramen, I'm paying." I nodded and Sasuke shrugged following behind me. We sat down. "You sure look happy Sakura-chan, what's up?" He asked.
"Sasuke and I are engaged to be married." I said with a smile.
"Really that's awesome Sakura." Naruto looked at Sasuke. Naruto seemed happy that Sasuke had asked me to marry him. It was weird but I guess he's over me now that he's dating Hinata, which is good for him. It's best to get over things, or people you can't have.
"Congrats you two. Now eat up." Teuchi said, setting two bowls of Mizo Ramen in front of us. We began to eat.
"I can't believe it. It's surreal that you two finally got married." Kiba said taking a break from eating ramen.
"No, I figured it would happen. She's the only one who's ever cared for him, the only one who truly forgives him, he protected her also, it was meant to be." Shino said continuing eat after saying his thoughts on the matter.
"I guess you're right." Kiba responded. "Well I'm happy about this! So happy for you guys!"
Before I knew it I was on the ground, again. This is getting rather annoying. I heard someone getting slammed against a tree. "Oi Lee, get off of my fiancée." Sasuke said obviously annoyed with him.
"The spirit of youth flows so strong within you two, it's so beautiful." I stepped back behind Sasuke.
"Lee, leave them alone. No one wants to be tackled to the ground!" Naruto yelled.
"Lee is right, the spirit of youth…" Naruto punched Gai-sensei in the stomach.
"Shut it. Bye Sasuke, Bye Sakura, run!" He signaled. I nodded. Sasuke grabbed me and jumped off. We finally arrived at my place which was on the complete opposite side of the city from his complex.
A/N: All the family complexes are on the south side of Konoha, let's say. Normal houses are on the north side and all the businesses and schools and such are in the middle. Well in this story.
I walked inside my house, Sasuke followed me. "Hello Sakura, Sasuke." My mom greeted.
"Dad!" I called. He walked into the living room.
"You need something Sakura?" He asked.
"Sasuke and I have something to tell you guys."
"I asked Sakura to marry me earlier today. I would like to know if you would allow me to marry your daughter." Sasuke said.
"Of course we would. You really didn't have to but thank you for asking nonetheless." My mom said. "Sakura, are you fine with this?" She asked, even though she knew the answer.
"Of course I am." I said smiling.
"You know what you have to do, you promise to care for her and protect her right?"
"Of course I do. I've been protecting her my entire life." I nodded smiling. I agreed with him.
"Then Sasuke, you are allowed to marry our daughter, you have our blessing." My dad said.
"Thank you." Sasuke said.
"Does you family know about this?" My mom asked.
"My parents and brother do, we were going to announce it to the rest of my clan tonight, once we were done taking care of everything else." They nodded. "Well we have more things to take care of. It will most likely be in 2 or 3 months with the way my clan works." They nodded again. "Bye."
"Bye Mom, and bye dad." I said smiling and hugging them. Soon we left and Sasuke had to go inside his complex while I wanted to walk around Konoha taking another look at everything.
I sighed as I arrived at the Konoha River. I sat on the bridge's railing staring into the water. What came to mind was the events of last night. I started laughing. I lost my balance and slipped almost into the river. Someone caught me. I opened my eyes. Itachi was walking on water while holding me. He walked over to the edge.
"You remind me of her a lot. Sasuke is right." Itachi said setting my gently on the grass. "You should be more careful."
"It's only happened twice today." I said laughing at my stupidity. All because I kept laughing and throwing myself off balance. "Ninjas are supposed to be balanced and graceful while I go and keep falling into the river."
"You might want to not sit on the railing. Or master water-walking."
"I can water walk but not when I'm not paying attention and then I fall toward it. It would hurt more to fall into a chakra suspended water then regular water anyway."
"True, anyway it's impossible to suspend your entire body perfectly on water anyway."
"Want to make that a bet?" I asked with a smile.
"Sure." I climbed up on the railing of the Konoha river and I gently let myself fall back. I used chakra to create a cushion between the water and my body. I landed gently on the water. Then I sat up and stood on the water, then I walked across the water.
"How much do I owe you?" He asked with a smirk.
"Nothing, we decided on nothing. I made a bet that I could do it, and I did. Nothing more or less. I bet you 20 dollars you can't do that." He put something in my hand, it was 20 dollars.
"I don't attempt things that I know I can't do. You win." He said sitting down on the river's edge. I sat down next to him. "You're just like her, cocky, funny, talented, caring and cheerful."
"Yeah, after all I learned what to act like from her. Of course I would be." I said.
"Yet you're your own person which is good. I miss her you know."
"I believe it. I do too, sort of."
"Sort of?" He asked.
"She's not gone. She'll come make sometimes. They value her too much to kill her. Maybe they'll let her go, maybe. I know they will. They're not bad people. It was my mission to learn about them. I know them but they are so unpredictable where they are, what they want and what they're going to do. It's best we just wait and hope that you'll get to see her again." He nodded.
"Yeah, I hope I get to see her again too." He said.
"So you guessed we'd get married."
"From the beginning, Sora always doubted it. She owes me a lot of money, 200. She usually won bets and the one time she looses, I can't collect the money." He said.
"I sense that it's not the money that is upsetting you Itachi." I stood up walking onto the water. I did a cartwheel on the water and jumped around on it. I then jumped up on the bridge's rail and sat on it.
"Yeah, of course I'm not upset because she owes me 200 dollars. I'm upset because… she's not here. It hurts that she's not by my side anymore. I loved her so much. I want her back but she always loved the Uchiha Clan, because she had no family that was alive. She treasured mine like her own and would do anything, did do anything she could for it. Even if she was going to be killed. You think she knew she wouldn't be killed."
"Yeah, she and I can tell things like that about people. Their true intentions." I said. "I know that you really love her, and she really loves you too. Nevertheless, it seems she loves your family and you more. What use would it be for her to be free if everything she lives for would be killed if all she has to do is stay with them and you're all safe? I think she knows it."
"I just am being selfish. I killed my clan so I don't think it's fair to say what I'd rather have done." He said laying back against the grass.
"I agree, it's not fair to ask that of you. She was one who knew what was right and did it. No matter the cost. She'd trade herself for the Uchiha Clan again if need be."
"I know she would. I'm just selfish."
"She's just selfish too." I said.
"Huh?"
"Nothing, it all depends on how you see it." I was beginning to feel horrible about what I had done to Itachi. It was so inhumane. "She shouldn't have done that. It is so sad…" I felt my tears about to come.
"Don't start doubting her, she knows what's right after all. I mean the clan for herself. It sounds more than fair to me. Konoha would be better off without her in comparison to our entire clan. It's a fair trade, a more than fair trade."
"What if that's not what the trade really was… what if it was something completely different?" She asked.
"It doesn't matter… as long as Konoha is alright and so is our clan. My sacrifice and hers, it's all the same got that. Don't doubt how noble her movements were." He said seriously.
"But…" He put his hands up.
"No. Don't doubt her. She's done too much for the Uchiha Clan to be doubted, especially by her friend like this. She did it for the clan that soon you're going to be leading… so don't… got that. I won't let you." He walked off. "Promise me you won't."
"I can't. I know better than you about this. I'll keep her secret for now."
"I quite like this 'lie' that she told me. It makes me think I know the same girl as I always have not what she's become. She may have loved another and left with him for all I care but I'm happy with what I know she told me. Don't try to persuade me otherwise. Got that?" I nodded. "Good. You're my brother's fiancée and I want to trust you like she did. You're the head of the next generation of our clan. I have to." I nodded.
"I'll won't tell you the truth then."
"I'm glad. She'll come out and tell me herself one day. At least I hope she would be the same person I know and do that." I nodded as I watched him walk off. I climbed off the railing and sat on the grass and cried.
"The guilt of lying to those you love causes you to cry." A voice said. It was Sasuke's voice. I looked up. He dropped to the ground beside me. "I can't help you be relieved of it, because I wish I could be free from the guilt too."
"Really?" I asked. He nodded and pulled me close to him. He wrapped his arms around me.
"You feel like a rematch?" He asked quietly in my ear.
"My dad, I remember faintly that as her you beat him before. He wants to prove you're strong enough for me, for the clan. You think you can manage that?" He said wiping the tears from my eyes.
"I guess, can it wait until after dinner tonight? I think someone else wants to know the truth."
"Who?"
"Kais, she and Sora were always close and she was always there for me."
"I don't think it's smart to bring others into your guilt Sakura. It's really painful, even for me and my conscious is pretty tough but that's what I get for loving you." He said pulling me close to him and kissing me.
"Yeah, you're right but I still think that the entire clan should see it, in order to accept my strength. They didn't exactly do that when I fought your dad without anyone watching; there was no proof of his lost. I saw it better that way but I eventually had to fight him a lot of times."
"I know, I was there, I remember. So let's go. Dinner is always at the same time… promptly…"
"6 O'clock, I remember and know more about your clan that you'd think I could."
"No, I believe you as you did it every day until 2 days ago." I nodded. I kissed him and walked off. "Where are you going?" I held my arms out and put them on my waist.
"You think I'm going to meet you family at a formal dinner party thing in this." I said mentioning my water dampened, chakra singed, dirty training outfit. It was something I barely wear at all. He rolled his eyes as I returned to my house. I changed into a pink tank top and a pink skirt that fell to my knees. I walked over to the complex. Sasuke was sitting in a tree above me.
"You're looking quite nice. Are you happy with your appearance now?" He asked. "It looks the same to me. You just changed your clothes after all." He said hoping onto the ground in front of me.
"Thank you, and on another note, duh! I only changed my clothes." He shrugged and he walked closer to me. "Your figure is even better when I'm closer to you." He said with a smirk.
"Don't make me slap you. Why is all the guys I know perverts?" I said sighing.
"Cause you're lucky like that." He said. He extended his hand. "Ready?" I took it and nodded. He walked into the house and escorted me to my seat beside him, to his left. He stood up. Everyone looked at him. "I'd like to introduce you to my fiancé, my future wife, Haruno Sakura." He nodded and I stood up after him. I bowed everyone kept staring at me for a while and Sasuke glared at them. They stopped but what was their problem. I turned to Sasuke.
"Why are they staring?" I asked.
"You look like their departed soon-to-be head? What did you expect?"
"Them to care about me." I stated back at him. "Sora is nothing like I am."
"Wrong, their thoughts, strengths, abilities and looks are very kin to the other. Sora is Sakura version 2.0. You made her to be you, except better, more normal, less exotic and more beautiful didn't you?" I looked away but nodded. "You're perfect how you are. I honestly can't tell the difference between you two except the color of your hair when she was our age and you now. The hair and maybe a few aspects of the face you changed, it's too easy." I said.
"Ms. Haruno, would you like to say a few words to us?" Sasuke's dad asked.
I turned to Sasuke and he shrugged. This did not happen last time! What am I supposed to do! I wanted to scream. You're planned to be their head very soon, of course it's different then Sora. She was just a girl who they've known to be around him as his girlfriend then you show up looking just like her pronouncing to be their new heir, it's not the best way to be friends with them.
"Alright." I took the initiative and decided to be a leader. "I don't mean to take over for Sora, because she and I are two different people. Everything she brought to the table, she had perfected before she met all of us. She knew better than anyone else about everything did. I know that you hurt inside and you really don't want to accept anyone else to rule you in the future. I know she's not gone because it had to gather information about those who were causing her problems earlier. I know she's alive but for the good of every one of you, she can't be here with us. She's taught me so much about who she is and who I am by improving herself on what she's worked her entire life on. I know her leaving hurts you; it hurts me because without her I wouldn't be the same person I am. She gave me confidence, taught me and a lot of people in here to be better ninja. She taught me too. I miss her, I really do. I wish I could be her, but I can't. I know in this kind of loss, just like in the loss of someone we love that you don't want them to be replaced. It hurts you to move on but she can't lead you, so just like someone who has lost their love, you must move on and let others in to heal your wounds. I know I can't be her because we're different. I'm also not her and I don't plan to be her because I wasn't meant to be her, I was meant to be me. I just ask that you accept me for me because that's all I'm ever going to try to be, and that's all I ever can be. Thank you. I ask only that." Everyone was amazed with my speech. I sat down and Sasuke looked at me with a smile. Everything was silent. They were all thinking and taking in each of my words as if it was law.
Everyone ate dinner quietly. It was eerie quiet. Soon all the food was consumed and people began excusing themselves, which was the only noise that broke the silence. Soon I felt the need to get out of the silent. "May I be excused?" I asked. Sasuke's father nodded and I got up.
"May I also?" Sasuke asked. His dad nodded again. He followed after me. I walked into a meeting room. I spent many hours after our meals in this particular meeting room. I relaxed on the couch. He sat down next to me. "You're words are just as pretty as you." He said with a smile. I blushed.
"I just spoke as well as I could on the truth. Sora, she was the perfect version of me. I exist to bring me to her standards but not to be her. We're completely different so there is no way that I could ever be her because you can't ever compare two different people on the same scale."
"So true. You're smart, but lack the confidence in your speech. You understand it all, because you understand everything. You talk with words that she wishes she could say. She was afraid to speak her mind, she just told you what was there, nothing more."
"What do you mean?"
"If you're trying to be here you're stupid. You're better than her in more ways then she is better than you. 5 years younger and you're just as strong, if not stronger than her. You have confidence in your actions and don't worry about what others think, she was all focused on that. You're better being you than her." Itachi said excusing himself again.
"Thank you, Itachi." I said quietly. Sasuke stood up and tossed me my bag.
"You should change into clothes fit for fighting, if you're going to challenge my dad." I nodded. "I'll guard the door." I nodded. He left the room and closed the door behind him. I changed into a red shirt and black pants. I exited the room. "Good-luck, Sakura." I nodded.
Sasuke led me to his dad's study which I had never been to. "I wish to prove myself to you, and if you would have it, I want to prove so in ninja combat. Your terms?" He smirked.
"I like your attitude. You're all for making it difficult on yourself and easy on your opponent. Wise or foolish, we will have to see." I nodded. He stood up. "Sasuke, take her to the training stadium." He nodded and I followed Sasuke to the training stadium. He understood that I wanted to prove myself not only with my words and promises but with my strength. A fight shows the strength of your heart, mind and soul. It was the perfect way to prove myself. In the stadium, everyone would see.
As I walked through the halls, everyone saw and began to follow Sasuke and me to the stadium. Soon everyone that we had passed had went to the stadium so when I came out, it was considerably full. Sasuke leaned over to my shoulder. "I'll be up in the stadium. Don't hurt yourself and don't kill my father please, once is enough for a while." I nodded. I kissed his cheek. He smirked and walked off.
This fight was one that was the beginning and the end. It was the clarity of my guilt. It would prove that I didn't need to start and entire new life to prove my strength that I could be just as good as she was in the ways I wanted to be.
My guilt consisted on disappointing those who relied on me, as Sora. If I could be everything Sora was to all those people and more, touch more people, do more good and heal those I had hurt then I would have no guilt because it would mean that I was better off being the true me, really being Sakura. Guilt weighted high on me because I felt that I had hurt so many with her disappearance and my lies. If I could prove that they didn't need her, they could do the same and better with Sakura. That would make me feel better. I know that Sora wouldn't ever leave their minds, but I knew that I could make the pain go away, if only with the security and strength I gave them, then for me, it was enough.
I want to be guilt free.
No more shadows fall on me.
No more troubles trapping me.
No more problems pressuring me.
Happiness is what I see.
I return to what I used to be.
There am I truly free.