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title: through time
for: C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only
prompt: future world, no vampires,
paths cross once again
pairing: SasuSaku
word count: 1,108
note: A sequel to 'what if's'.
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My grandmother always had these crazy stories that I used to love as a kid, about our ancestors and how they lived through the war against the humanlike creatures that roamed the night. Of course, my mother always told me to disregard my grandmother's tales. A part of me wanted to believe everything she said, if only because my life seemed so boring compared to the times she talked about.
Normal job, normal family, somewhat normal friends; every day was the same for me. I'd always felt like there was something missing in my life, I just couldn't figure out what it was.
"Excuse me?"
Snapping out of my train of thought, I turned around a little too quickly and would've fallen over if the man behind me hadn't caught me. "Oh my gosh, I am so, so sorry!" I could feel my cheeks turning the same color as my hair as I bowed apologetically to this stranger, feeling like I'd just made a complete fool of myself.
"It's alright, I spoke to you without thinking." His voice was polite, yet cold in tone. I snuck a glance up at his face at the same moment when he reached out and lifted my chin up, saying, "Bowing so low will make me uncomfortable, Haruno."
My face reddened even further, my head at a complete loss for words. "Ah, um, what-" Clearing my throat, I tried again, "How do you…know my name?"
"Your grandmother sent me to look for you."
"My…my grandmother?" I glanced down at my phone, then asked, "Why did she send you, if I may ask? She could have just called me if she wanted to see me."
His eyes stared down at me, making me feel suddenly so vulnerable under his intense gaze. Without thinking, my eyes stared down at the floor, feeling too self-conscious to look him in the eye any longer. Who was he, anyway? And why had my grandmother sent him to find me? How did he find me, anyway? I'd never seen this person before in my life, yet my grandmother suddenly trusts him enough to send him to search for me? Nothing seemed to make sense.
"Why do you keep doing that?"
"Hm?" For the second time, I felt his fingers lightly tap my chin up to look at him, his voice so close. He was leaning down to my eye level, too close to my face that I felt myself taking a step back.
His hand instantly went around my waist to stop me from moving any further, and I gasped the moment his skin made contact with mine. A jolt seemed to go through my body, and I found it hard to breathe without a harsh throbbing pain going through my head. "Ah…what…" My voice sounded strained, and I realized I was completely wrapped in his arms at this point, my whole body resting against his.
"It's okay, Sakura. Just let them in, don't fight it. It'll only hurt you more." I could feel his whispered words against my ear as my body throbbed with pain. I clung to it, trying not to lose consciousness. What was happening to me? I could barely think, let alone move my body. "It'll be okay soon, Sakura." What's going to be okay? What's going on? "Come back to me, Sakura. I've been waiting for you all this time…" Even as my body burned with pain, and my mind went blank, I still clung to his words, to the voice I felt I'd known my entire life.
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was my ceiling fan spinning and spinning in dizzying circles. I breathed in deeply, letting it out as I sat up slowly. My body felt relaxed, my mind calm, until I saw the person sitting next to my bed. Almost instantly I felt tears flowing down my cheeks, and I touched my face, bewildered at this sudden emotion running through me. My lips parted automatically, my hand reaching out without a second thought as I whispered, "You waited for me."
He was out of his chair and hugging me tightly in a split second, his face buried in my hair. "Your grandmother's family had watched over the war back when vampires still roamed the world, and their records were perfectly preserved in the stories they told of the single vampire that ended the war, and the curse he left unknowingly when he died. He felt such loss that they knew one day we'd meet again."
My head felt woozy, trying to comprehend everything that was going on. "These thoughts…these memories. They feel like they're mine but I know they aren't…I…you…" The tears flowing from my eyes never ceased. "I died…" I leaned back to grab hold of my stomach, feeling a wound that wasn't there. "You…" His eyes stared into mine with so many emotions running through them. Mine were probably no different. Cupping his cheek, I tried speaking again, "He ended the war? That vampire, who hated humans so much?"
His hands wiped away the tears on my face, his voice soft as he breathed out, "I can feel everything he did, Sakura. He'd never felt such emotions before; he was scared. He knew what would happen if he let it go any further. His life had no meaning when she was gone. He'd realized too late, and made it his only mission in life to end the war. Do you get it, Sakura? He killed off every one of his kind, just for her, if only to compensate for killing her. In the end, he died hoping to one day be with her again. Your family knew this day would come; they knew we'd be born and all these memories would come back once more." Leaning forward, he kissed me gently, before parting and resting his forehead against mine.
"I…she hoped, too, when she died. She hoped things had been different, and she hated never telling him how she felt sooner. Dying and saying she loved him, she felt she left even more sorrow in his heart."
"She doesn't have to worry anymore, Sakura." He kissed my hand, his eyes never leaving mine as he said, "Because now I can say what he always wanted to say." My eyes closed as more tears threatened to fall, because I knew that things would be different now. Even if they were gone, I could still feel her true feelings, her thoughts, and I knew that our ending wouldn't be anything like theirs.
"I love you, Sakura."
We could start our own lives from now on.
