POLL INFO AT THE BOTTOM (PLEASE CHECK IT OUT)
Chapter TWENTY
Between the three of them, Haku had been the most human.
No matter how many lives he took, no matter how many had died by his hands, his eyes had always been able to see the beauty in the flowers that bloomed in spring and the leaves that crunched under their feet in autumn. He had been able to see the beauty of living even through the veils of sin and death that had dragged her Zabuza deep into its clutches long ago. Every cell of his body had been capable of showing undying, unconditional love towards those close to him, even if they were monsters.
To Sakura, Haku was the most beautiful existence she had ever seen.
Perhaps it was because he was a splotch of untainted white surrounded by monsters.
Perhaps it was the fact that he had stayed beside them, regardless of what they were, by choice.
Perhaps it was because he was actually as twisted as either of them, for he had forced himself to feel broken in order to act alongside those who he loved.
Perhaps it was because he had loved them enough to lie to himself and kill himself on the inside in order to pretend not to notice the tears of the child his parents he had just killed.
Sakura knew that it had been her and Zabuza that had forcefully molded the kind hearted boy into something he was not, and under the sadness and grief and the utter regret she felt, a twisted part of her she hated had been aroused by the power she held over him.
Sakura had always known that love was a blade sharp as any hate. It forced people to bend in order to please and so unlike the emotions she had heard many shinobi, including Zabuza, claimed made one weak.
After she had joined Zabuza, Haku had instantly taken a liking to her, even when she made it obvious that she did not trust either of them. She had thought that if love twisted one to the point one shattered their own being at will, it would be a weapon of her choice.
Then she had learned that there were those who claimed emotions were a weakness and there were those who claimed emotions were a weakness.
Because some claimed it got in the way of missions, of inhumane acts and seemingly reasonless massacre and some used this excuse to put a front against orders. However, Sakura now understood it differently.
Because no armor or technique in the world could defend against an emotional blow, and the more powerful, the more paranoid one got, the more things they began to fear.
Power made one brittle and emotions could find its way through any gap in any armor. Only those who understood emotions, having given and equally received, were not only powerful, but truly strong, could embrace emotion as a weapon.
This had been what made Haku so much more better than the rest of them. He had given more than he had ever received, baring his soul to those who did not deserve it.
And if this was what it took to be truly strong, Sakura knew she would never reach that pedestal.
However, she wasn't weak either and as long as she didn't lose, as long as she wasn't defeated, she could continue to claim to be so, because no one would be able to tell her wrong.
She felt ghostly hands on her cheeks and warm arms wrap themselves around her from behind.
And Haku never liked it went she became like this.
The blurs and blobs in front of her began to clear, and 'the enemy' became Gaara, 'her teammates' became Sasuke and Naruto, and 'those in the way' became the civilians and guests of Konoha.
She rolled her shoulders, moving her bones so that the cracks echoed throughout the whole arena.
"Thank you." She whispered, so softly that her voice was carried away by the wind.
Gaara sensed the change in Sakura the moment it happened. The Killing Intent she had been ejecting almost forcefully instantly lessened and he felt the pressure he hadn't even realized was there lighten. His body instantly felt lighter and he was even more impressed.
However, he knew that the real battle was starting now. He nodded faintly at the girl then shot his hand in her direction. "Sabaku Sousou!"
The sand pooling on the ground below the girl shot up and Sakura did not fight it. Gaara felt her go limp in an apprehensive way and he tensed. Not a split second later, Sakura's foot tore through the sand and the rest of her body followed. Gaara saw patches of white he knew was bone from the torn bits of her skin and he placed both his hands on the ground as she shot towards him, her own spinal cord trailing after her.
"Sabaku Taisou!"
The sudden vibration sent a surprised Sakura stumbling. The sand under her feet shot up, latching onto her ankles. The sand in her area began to swirl, jerking her to a sudden stop and dragging her down. More sand rose up around her, and Gaara knew that he could not risk prolonging this fight.
Sakura whipped her spine around and with brute force, it tore through the closing in cocoon. She stumbled from the sudden force of her foot being released but she changed it to momentum, spinning towards his direction, arm drawn back.
Gaara had a split second to raised a shield around him before the vein like bone was wrapped tightly around him. Sakura gripped her weapon and yanked herself forward.
Gaara's eyes widened, but the shield he put up was smashed through as Sakura barraged through. She released her spine and it instantly loosened but by then, she was already directly above him, her bone drilled reared back, ready to strike.
Gaara had a feeling he would not survive if the blow landed, but it was too late for him, or his sand, to react.
And to his surprise, the blow never came.
In the last second, Sakura did a small twist and the two of them crashed onto the floor, Sakura straddling him, her drill held threateningly over his throat and more bones, bigger than ever, tearing out from her back in a threatening manner.
I've got you pinned, and I can kill you before your sand can get past my defense.
And Gaara was the honorable son of the Fourth Kazekage. He knew when he had lost.
A second later, the proctor announced the match over with Sakura as victor.
We have put up a poll concerning the next story we are planning to publish. Due to the fact that only allows one poll up at a time, the format of this poll is slightly messy, though there are only a few options, so we hope it isn't too complicated.
The following questions are asked with the following possible answers:
-Which tense do you prefer? (A)
Past tense
Present tense
-Which Sakura characters do you like the most? (B)
A carefree, innocent, seemingly naive, misleading Sakura who actually knows more than she lets on (Sakura from 'A Wish Upon those Eyes of Green', 'Ivy')
A slightly insane, bloodthirsty, crazy and yet, can be cold and calculating Sakura that knows she's a few screws loose and makes sure everyone around her knows it too (Sakura from 'The Beauty of Life', 'First Time to see the World')
A serious, slightly detached Sakura who knows so much and yet, so little of the world outside those she is loyal to (Sakura from 'Red Strings of Fate','The Core')
A fearful, oppressed Sakura that is a shell of what could have been like due to past trauma who has a hard time breaking off old engraved habits. (Sakura from 'The Path of Endless Togethers'[First few chapters])
Like the above, the choices will be marked with either 'A)' or 'B)'
Please pick one from each.
Thank you for your cooperation.
So, not much movement and stuff.
Darque: More emotional BANG kind of things.
Raven: You really make me question what Haku and Sakura's relationship is...was...
Darque: Nothing. It's purely platonic.
Raven:...
Darque: No, really. It's just twisted to the point it seems to be something else. You read about Sakura's thoughts, right?
Raven: Ah, well, I guess.
Darque: Well, a couple more chapters to go.
Raven: No 'n chapters left's, though, cause we never keep those.
Read and Review~