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Cherry Bridge
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Summary Chapter 24
Sakura is taken up to the Heavens as Sasuke to witnesses her disappearance. He is unsettled, but the star who oversaw the process reassures him that there are special plans being made for Sakura. As dawn breaks, the Rookie Nine gather in silence, acknowledging that while Sakura has left for the moment, they still believe she will return. They are distracted, however, when they are alerted to the declaration of the Fourth Shinobi War. Meanwhile, Sasuke takes Sakura's body to the deserted city of the Sora-ku, where he discovers that Neko-baa and her hideout have been attacked, reducing Neko-baa to a trembling mess and putting her granddaughter, Tamaki, in coma. When Sasuke reveals that he is seeks refuge for Sakura, a Rokukan, Neko-baa agrees and states that she has a debt to pay.
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A/N
Thank you for persevering through this story alongside with me! I tried to hurry with updating, but I haven't been getting much sleep lately and the stuff I'm writing started getting abnormally loopy. I had to start over a few times, but hopefully you find this chapter worth the wait. Now all the fun begins! Enjoy!
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Somewhere, deep down in his heart, he had always known.
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Chapter 25
The last thing she saw was Sasuke's dark, wide eyes. She had always considered herself good at reading the stoic young Uchiha, but this time, it didn't take any special observational skills as those black eyes stared into hers with naked panic. She wanted to open her mouth, to tell him not to worry, but in the next second, all control over her body evaporated. A cold feeling erupted in her head, like an icy knife slicing through her skull. She experienced, for the first time, the feeling of her two minds being ripped apart. There was nothing gentle about it. It wasn't a pain she had ever felt before; it was a disorienting, dizzying sensation. As she clutched onto her sanity, she felt both minds launch out of her body separately, following an inexorable pull away from the world. She fought it with every ounce of strength within her, resisting, not wanting to let herself go to this frightening, chaotic whirl.
'Sasuke!' she cried with her mind, struggling to reach him. But her call died away as her awareness dimmed, and she finally succumbed to the soft swell of unconsciousness.
Her last thought, before all thoughts ceased, was that she was scared.
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"So, this is the newest generation's Rokukan, eh?" Neko-baa mused, brushing a wayward strand of pink hair off of Sakura's forehead. Alert eyes tracking her movements, Sasuke surprised himself with just how tense he felt as he watched her touch the unconscious kunoichi's serene, still face.
They were standing at the foot of a decrepit looking shrine in the middle of Sora-ku. The shrine's flimsy tile roof, with many of the round shingles missing, sagged inwards onto itself, its four corners leaning into one another. In contrast to its instable looking walls, the door stood tall and solid, a great, gray slab of stone firmly sealed with an intricate carving on the front. At first glance, the carving seemed to simply be another ancient decoration, but upon further inspection, the carving appeared to be made in the likeness of an elaborate seal with nine points.
As rain drizzled down onto them, Sasuke readjusted his grip on the pinkette, glancing around in thinly veiled puzzlement. Just what was Neko-baa waiting for? Time ticked by, and Sasuke grew increasingly impatient. It was nearly evening now, when they had set out around noon, and the rain was steadily growing worse. Frustrated, he bit out:
"Neko-baa-sama, what is this?"
"Don't take that tone with me, boy!" she reprimanded him sharply. She seemed just as on edge as he was as she glanced at the sky anxiously. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of waiting, night fell. As the moon rose into the sky, the Elder Cat stepped forward onto a smooth, worn stone placed directly in the front of the shrine. She slowly and painstakingly lowered herself onto her knees amidst a series of harsh cracks and pops emanating from her aged joints. She took a deep, rasping breath and leaned forward, bowing until her forehead touched the soggy ground.
"Guardians of the Temple," she began in her gravelly voice, "Though I am not a member of your house, I beg entry. Please grant me this request for the sake of Rokukan Sakura and her companion, Uchiha Sasuke."
For a long moment, there was silence. Unused to not knowing what to do, Sasuke drew Sakura's limp form closer into his chest as his gaze darted around the deserted courtyard. Just as he was about to swallow his pride and ask the Elder Cat what she meant with her cryptic words, a foreign chakra pulsed from within the shrine.
Sasuke started. No, it couldn't be…
"So thou hast come, young one," a startlingly familiar voice spoke, echoing directly in his head. Judging by the way Neko-baa stiffened, she had heard it too. Clenching his jaw, Sasuke re-experienced the unpleasant sensation of being forced into submission, head bowing under the weight of the voice's chakra. Last time he had felt it in the ruins of the Uchiha hideout, it had been weaker, diluted by hundreds of other chakra. Now, it was frighteningly strong, throbbing and pulsing with ancient, alien power.
"I am well pleased with you, Uchiha Sasuke," the voice continued, "Thou hast done well to bring the Bridge here."
"Bridge?" Sasuke repeated blankly.
"Aye, the Bridge. She lies cradled in your grip, young Uchiha."
His eyes snapped to the dormant body in his arms, feeling a rush of heat in his cheeks when he realized just how tightly he had her encompassed in his grasp. He hastily loosened his hold on her slightly, almost missing how the voice addressed Neko-baa in an almost warm tone.
"Welcome, She of the Nine Lives," it greeted her. The Elder Cat bowed once again as the voice went on, "I am well pleased by your service to these two younglings. Your debt is repaid, your quarrel with the Stars forgiven. You may set foot in the Temple of the Yumihari with a clean conscience."
"Thank you," Neko-baa whispered, her rough voice cracking with emotion. "Truly, I thank you." If unseen entities could nod, then Sasuke received the distinct impression that the voice bowed towards the Elder Cat in acceptance.
"Young Uchiha, step forward to stand on the threshold."
Immediately, Sasuke obeyed. There was a certain tension in the air, a humming intensity, that compelled him to comply without hesitation or protest. As he drew level with Neko-baa, he glanced at her, only to see her smiling serenely to his surprise. It was the first smile he had seen her wear in a long time, and strangely, it comforted him amidst this confusing situation.
He was snapped from his musings when the foreign chakra spinning around them surged sharply. The humming began to climb in frequency, becoming an uncomfortable pressure swirling around their heads. As both Neko-baa and Sasuke cringed, there came a deep, shuddering groan from deep within the shrine. Sasuke's eyes snapped to the intricate, carved seal on the door in time to see the design light up with a bloody red glow, the nine points near blazing. He felt a strange curling in his stomach, an urge, and without his consent, his Sharingan spun and whirled crazily. Grimacing, he bore the unpleasant sensation.
With one last surge of power, the air around them seemed to splinter. The seal flared, a soundless roar vibrating through the air, and the stone slab split cleanly in half, its reverberating crack! renting the air.
And then all was silent.
Sasuke breathed heavily through his nose, trying to reign in his out-of-control Sharingan as it calmed from its madness. Beside him, Neko-baa gasped and slumped, gripping her temples. Keeping one arm securely around Sakura, Sasuke reached out to stabilize the old woman. She shot him a look of gratitude, which he promptly ignored in an effort to salvage his aloof image.
"Enter in," the voice had returned, "and do not shy from bringing your companions who need shelter; I know of the assault on your person and your kin, Elder Cat."
"I thank you, Ancient One," Neko-baa quietly said. As soon as she had uttered the words, the presence withdrew, leaving a strange feeling of emptiness behind. All that remained was the now revealed entrance to the shrine, the vacant doorway looming black and cold before them.
Neither of the two dared to move, peering cautiously into the darkness in the shrine. Sasuke could just barely make out the flight of stairs leading from the entrance down into the unknown.
Neko-baa broke the tense silence, saying: "Shall we?"
Sasuke spared her a quick glance, seeing her nod, and stepped forward to begin a long, cold descent into the dead temple.
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Drip… drip… drip…
The rhythmic, even patter of water droplets dripping from the ceiling grated on Sasuke's nerves. His grip on Sakura was tight and apprehensive as he led the way down the stairs. He could feel the Elder Cat's hand clutching his upper arm as she slowly picked her way down on his heels, occasionally murmuring quiet directions to avoid any spots with crumbling stone. Her eyes glowed slightly in the gloom, their pale color reflecting the tiniest hint of light.
Sasuke, for his part, was completely blind. Not even his Sharingan could help, not that he dared using it. His eyes itched, annoying and confusing him in equal measures.
After what seemed to be hours, Neko-baa's voice suddenly cut through the pitch blackness.
"Stop."
Jerking to a halt, the Uchiha heir whipped his head around, glancing at the two dimly glowing eyes behind him.
"What is it?" he ground out, at the end of his patience.
"There's a large lake before us."
"A what?" Sasuke echoed incredulously. Shifting Sakura's limp deadweight to his left shoulder, he deftly performed a string of hand signs that were achingly familiar to him.
"Katon! Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"
Blinding flames streamed from his lips, their white-hot intensity screwing his eyes shut. After so many minutes in complete darkness, the light was piercing. The fireball sped ahead, illuminating an impressive expanse of still, cold water and a high, jagged ceiling lined with stalactites. Sasuke watched the path of his jutsu, dumbfounded, as it highlighted the width of the enormous underground lake. Were they to walk across the whole way?
Gingerly, he lowered a foot onto the surface of the dark waters, coating the limb in chakra. Yet as soon as the sole of his shoe came in contact with the water, his hold on his chakra broke. As his foot sank under the surface, Sasuke jerked back, his eyes wide.
"Sasuke." The Elder Cat's voice called from a little distance away. Belatedly, the Uchiha noticed that Neko-baa had wandered down a small, rocky path to the shore of the lake. A small, intricately shaped boat bobbed gently on the small waves the Sasuke's Katon had created. The whole thing seemed suspicious to the younger Uchiha, his mistrust hardening as he recognized the nine-comma motive of the Sharingan painted on the side of the boat.
"It's a trap," he heard himself say.
"I don't think so," she replied, "this lake obviously functions as a protective barrier. It's highly possible that you cannot walk across it, nor fly across it by any means. This seems to be our only choice." Her aged eyes scanned the fading murals painted on the sides and she suddenly murmured:
"Activate your Sharingan."
Sasuke bristled. His eyes had been straining against his control this entire time, like a restless puppy against a leash, and he was loathe to simply let it run wild. But one look at Neko-baa's stern face, and he sighed, reluctantly activating his kekkai genkai.
Crimson eyes opened, and as soon as Sasuke's gaze touched the boat, it pulsed once, urgently. The murals glowed brightly, their vivid colors returning, and with a deep, bone-rattling hum, the whole boat rose several inches above the water's surface, hovering there and bobbing gently on unseen waves.
"Clever," the Elder Cat commented with an approving nod as she boarded the diminutive ship, "the jutsu has remained intact after all these years of disuse. Come, let's get in, young one."
It took a few moments of stubborn hesitation before Sasuke sighed in defeat, stepping onto the boat. Its worn, smooth wooden deck was cold under his feet; he could feel it even through his shoes. The moment both of them were seated on the narrow wooden benches running along the boat's flanks, it hummed once more and gently floated out towards the open waters.
Silence descended upon the grotto like a shroud. The water didn't even so much as ripple as the ship sailed over it, calming from its earlier, Katon-induced turmoil. Sasuke found himself gazing around mistrustfully, his Sharingan active throughout the entire time. After several minutes of continued use, his eyes made their discomfort known as they began to ache within their sockets.
With a mental groan of frustration, Sasuke performed a quick jutsu, breathing life into a tiny, feathery sphere of fire which hovered just on his palm. As the flickering glow danced across the lake, he deactivated his Sharingan with a sense of relief.
Now that there was an active light source, he peered at their surroundings as they glided by. The waters lay cold and quiescent underneath them, dark and mysterious like a smooth black mirror. He stared down at it, narrowing his eyes when he caught a flicker of color below the surface.
His heart lurched.
"Neko-baa-sama…" he began, breaking the stillness, only to see the Elder Cat nod jerkily, her answering reply quiet.
"I know… I saw them the moment we entered the grotto."
Sasuke swallowed.
Bodies – hundreds, no, thousands – were piled in the dark water. Bony faces grinned up at the Uchiha, yawning emptiness in their eye sockets, their skeletons wrapped and twisted around each other as if they had been frozen in a permanent grapple. Here and there, wisps of scraggly hair clung to a bone-white skull, waving gently through the surrounding liquid. Judging by the skeletal remains, Sasuke guessed that whoever these people were, they had been dead for a long time. To add further confusion, he noted that the numerous outfits all dated to different times, from ancient, heavy things to light flak jackets.
"What…" his voice failed him. Neko-baa simply shook her head and said quietly:
"Some things are best left unknown." She pointedly redirected her gaze away from the disturbing sight below them and raised her eyes to the ceiling, silently mouthing prayers in respect to the dead. Sasuke forced himself to look away from the sickening sight and found his focus drawn to Sakura, her serene features pale and slack, ignorant to the nauseating view around them.
After he had noticed the corpses, the boat ride seemed to drag on even longer. Therefore, he was neither surprised nor ashamed when, as soon as the boat reached the opposite shore, he leapt from his seat as though burnt.
There was a small path leading up to a set of double doors, similar to the ones barring the entrance of the shrine aboveground. The difference lay in the fact that these doors were left slightly ajar, releasing a glimpse of the darkness beyond.
"Go, Sasuke," the Elder Cat whispered, her ears alternating between pricking in interest and lying flat on her head. The young Uchiha took a deep breath… and obeyed.
The doors groaned loudly as they were forcefully swung open, and Sasuke stepped into the void, lighting up the corridor on the other side. He was surprised at how clean and well-made the hall was, it's walls and ceilings cut with mathematical precision in exactly ninety degree angles. There were ancient alcoves carved into the walls at regular intervals, sometimes bearing the remains of torches.
Sasuke followed the corridor as it continued on straight forwards, never even curving in the slightest. He did, however, receive the impression that the hallway was listing marginally downwards, creating a smooth descending slope. The deeper in they went, the colder it got, and Sasuke drew Sakura closer in concern, taking note of the blueish hue tingeing her lips.
"How much further?" he heard his voice ask, full of tension.
"I see something up ahead," Neko-baa informed him, her shuffling steps right behind him.
Finally, after what seemed like hours in the dark, Sasuke broke out of the hallway, stumbling into a large, circular room. Manipulating the fireball in his hand, he increased its size and tossed it up towards the ceiling.
What he saw made him nearly gasp in astonishment.
In the middle of the all the gloomy shadows, this room was so normal it was shocking. A thick, warm rug was spread over the stone floor, and worn furniture was placed in tasteful arrangements around the room. A large hearth occupied the far wall, and Sasuke could see the seal etched on the ceiling to draw off any smoke a fire might produce. It looked like somebody's living room, discounting the fact that everything was covered in a solid layer of dust.
The Elder Cat drifted forward, her eyes wide and wondering.
"This place…" she murmured, coming to a halt in the center of the floor, "I… I have seen this place before!" Excitement lent her voice a barely contained edge and she suddenly appeared decades younger.
"Quickly, light a fire in the hearth!" she rasped, nearly quivering in suppressed elation. She hobbled to a sturdy, soft-looking couch and began sweeping the dust off of it with one voluminous sleeve. "Lay the girl here, you will need both hands."
At that, Sasuke balked. But, as it was, Neko-baa's eagerness was contagious and he cautiously set Sakura's pliant body onto the couch. He gave a quick cursory glance to ensure her state hadn't changed with the shift in position, before straightening and striding to the hearth. He examined the hearth swiftly, noting the moon emblem carved into the wall directly above the fireplace, and performed the seals for a moderate Katon, blowing it into the hearth.
Heat roared. Reeling back wildly, Sasuke gaped as the flames shot up to the ceiling. Glowing lines flared on the floor and walls, spreading outwards from the fireplace and racing to encompass the room completely. In a matter of seconds, the whole place was lit with a warm, orange glow, revealing an entire set of doors which had been hidden masterfully within the walls.
In addition to the startling revelations, Sasuke noticed that the temperature shot up, from nearly freezing to a comfortable, pleasant heat.
"The temple has come to life," Neko-baa's awed statement reached his ears. Turning, he was met with the sight of the elderly woman kneeling in reverence, her gaze riveted on the moon, now ablaze in golden-red light. She turned, and Sasuke was stunned as he perceived the tears running down her cheeks.
"This is truly it," she said, "This is the Temple of the Moon. We stand amongst the remains of the Yumihari Clan's domain."
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Warmth. She was warm all over. Sighing happily, she rolled onto her side, reveling in the newfound comfort. Something was tickling her nose, prompting her to wrinkle it in mild annoyance, when muted notes, reminding her of a flute, drifted to her slowly wakening ears.
"Gao shan qing,
Jian shui lan.
Ali Shan de guniang mei ru shui ya,
Ali Shan de shaonian zhuang ru shan."
Rousing little by little, Sakura managed to groggily peel her eyes open. She then found herself lying on her side, staring cross-eyed at a delicate snowdrop flower, whose thin leaves had been tickling her nose. She blinked blankly for a moment, before abruptly remembering.
The star. The promise. The ascent.
The look in Sasuke's eyes as she was spirited away, out of her own body.
With a small cry, she jerked upright in a single movement, wincing as her back creaked in protest. Wildly looking around, she noted three things simultaneously.
Firstly, she was seated in a wide, rolling meadow, its muted coloring almost ethereal in its loveliness. Blades of grass waved daintily in the soft breeze, and pale butterflies danced on the currents of air around her. The sky was a dazzling shade of clean blue, while pristine white clouds drifted by lazily.
'B-Beautiful…' her overwhelmed mind managed to think, 'I must be dreaming…!'
Secondly, as she sat there and stared, she realized the singing voice had suddenly returned on the wind, lilting and enchanting in its purity.
"Gao shan chang qing,
Jian shui chang lan.
Guniang he na shaonian yong bu fen na,
Bi shui chang weizhe qing shan zhuan."
And lastly, Sakura's searching gaze finally found the singer, following the figure as it happily threaded through the tall grass.
It was a girl, probably only eleven or twelve years old. She was clothed strangely, wearing a dress which seemed to have been made from a single, homogeneous piece of white cloth. Her hair, unbound and carelessly blowing in the breeze, was a delicate shade of rose-pink, so pale it was almost white, contrasting sharply with her forest green eyes. She appeared to have not noticed the pinkette sitting amongst the blades of grass, contentedly moving along and singing. Belatedly, Sakura realized that she couldn't understand a word of the song, but decided nonetheless to stand and confront the singer.
Shakily climbing to her feet, she was about to call out when the girl suddenly whirled around, as if sensing Sakura's presence. The kunoichi braced herself, ready for what she was sure was going to be a negative, surprised reaction, and was therefore understandably bewildered when the girl's face broke into a wide, brilliant beam.
"Ah, you must be new!" she exclaimed with obvious cheer. "Welcome, welcome!" She skipped over to where Sakura was standing, stupefied, and frowned at the pinkette's silent, apprehensive expression.
"Don't be afraid," she said, one hand coming up to touch her shoulder gently, "It's a daunting sight at first, but you'll get used to it quickly!" Her voice was very earnest as she tried to coax Sakura from her paralyzed state.
Shaking herself once mentally, Sakura tore her gaze away from the girl and glanced around once more.
"This place…" she breathed, dazed, "Where is this?"
The girl giggled lightly and responded:
"Where we are is called Shohatsu no Kusachi, the Meadow of the First Beginning."
"Beginning?" Sakura turned her head, seeing nothing but grass from horizon to horizon.
"The Beginning of what?"
She turned back to see the girl smiling at her. A real smile. A smile full of compassion and life.
"Come," she said, reaching out and grasping Sakura's hand, "I will show you."
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A/N
Are we already at 25 chapters? No kidding! I'm astounded that this story has come this far! I owe it all to you guys, my readers, whether you leave reviews or not. I am forever grateful to you all!
School is hectic as always – bla bla bla, yada yada – so I won't elaborate on that. Instead, I want to give you guys a quick update on my current stories, more specifically The Lady Kickboxer.
If you guys follow my other fanfictions, you probably noticed that TLK isn't nearly as long or as polished as CB. That's because I don't even proofread TLK as I do CB and simply publish the chapter in whatever state it is as soon as it's done. I've wanted to experiment with that process to see how my writing looks while it's still rough around the edges. The plot may not seem as tight as CB, either, but I find that I actually like the extra freedom of spontaneous updates. Anyways, to sum it up: I will publish TLK chapters a lot more frequently than CB ones, but on the other hand, I won't keep such careful tabs them, either. Hopefully, you guys will join me on that adventure nonetheless! :)
Well, that's all for now, I suppose. Again, thank you for reading, and please leave your thoughts on the story behind if you want to! I appreciate every single one of your reviews, and hope to hear from you guys!
Ja ne!
EbonyEye
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The lyrics of the song the girl was singing, the ones in italics, are the lines to a Taiwanese folk song called "Ali Mountain":
"Green is the high mountain,
Blue is the mountain stream,
The girls of Ali Mountain are pretty as the water,
The boys of Ali Mountain are strong as the mountain.
Mountain, forever green,
Water, forever blue,
Girls and boys, never to be parted,
Like the blue water flows around the green mountain."
It's a beautiful tune, go check it out!
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Shohatsu - Beginning, start
Kusachi - Meadow, grassland
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