Entry no. 36: Burning
So... yeah, I've been neglecting you so much, I know! This time I've got many things to blame, though! Here's a few of them: Laziness, Writer's Block and Naruto Shippuuden's awesomeness and copious amount of angst-worthy stuff.
I'm really sorry, I sincerely apologize, and it's probably going to happen again, so... gomen?
BTW, I know that you don't care and stuff BUT I've written a little original fiction thingy (50 one-sentence drabbles) and put it up on my AO3 account, but no one will probably read it and I would like to know it the stuff is good. So, would you be so kind to your dear author and read it? The name is "You, once and every time", my penname is TheDarknessEternal and I would be really glad if you read it. I think it's a lot like the entries in the List...
Anyway.
I owe LilyVampire an answer, so: I'm honestly thinking about that, I even have the title and a theme-setting sentence... if you'd like to know, let me know and I'll PM it to you. I am thinking that it will be a little walk in Sasuke's steps, a bit disturbing (okay, a lot) and so on and so forth. what do you think?
Red AU again, set... you will see. It's morbid again, I warn you and apologize for that.
In the middle of the Tea country was a plain. On the plain stood a pyre, and atop the pyre lay the lifeless body of Sasuke Uchiha.
He lay neatly, with legs in one straight line, hands folded on his chest, eyes dutifully closed, face smooth without a hint of his usual frown. He was beautiful as always.
The only thing marring the beautiful image that was Sasuke's dead body was the gaping wound in his stomach and chest, almost hidden in the pool of dried blood it created on his shirt and skin.
The fatal wound that killed him. A wound inflicted by his own brother, no less. The same brother he was willing to sacrifice anything to destroy.
And in the end, he did. He sacrificed his life. And the once great Itachi Uchiha was destroyed.
When they found him, he was stumbling; there was no grace in his movement. His eyes were empty, voice broken. And when Kakashi moved in for the kill, he didn't resist.
Sakura touched Sasuke's face gently. She knew he would wish to be burnt with Itachi; even if he never said anything, it was clear as a day that even after everything that happened, Itachi was still a brother to Sasuke. And he will be his brother forever, now. They will forever, in their minds, live on as the Uchiha brothers.
Tears streamed down Sakura's blood-stained cheeks.
He was gone, and with him, the reason she and Naruto fought so hard, trained so hard for so long. They both knew there was so much to look out for, so many more things to fight for.
But they both, for years, fought only to get Sasuke back.
And now that he was gone, it left them empty.
Naruto disappeared days ago, when they separated, Kakashi bringing Itachi's dead body to Konoha and Sakura setting out to find Sasuke. He just picked a random direction and ran. Maybe he will never come back.
Sakura held up a piece of wood, setting it on fire. It was getting dark, and the deep shadows danced with the firelight on Sasuke's porcelain skin.
So beautiful; so young. He wasted his life chasing a single man, trying to free himself from a shadow, climbing a wall he couldn't overcome.
Why do people do that? Why do people devote themselves to a single purpose when, if in the end you fail, your life suddenly has no meaning at all?
Why did she devote herself to saving him? Why was he the only thing that mattered? Why did she wanted to climb onto that pyre with him so much?
She stared into the flickering flame.
She could set herself on fire. That was her skin would hurt as much as her heart did. That way her hair and clothes would be burning like her mind. She would be blinded by the searing flames as much as she was now. And eventually all that would remain would be ashes, black like Sasuke's eyes.
Her green eyes mesmerized by the dancing flames, she brought the makeshift torch closer to her chest.
She would burn, and in the process, so would Sasuke. Their ashes would mingle, becoming one. And then the air would carry them away. They would be together forever.
The fire inched closer to her skin.
All she needed to do was start the fire, and then she would be burning outside as much as she was inside. And Sasuke's flames would shine as hot as they did when he fought. It would be perfect.
She was just a hair away from ending the pain by creating even greater one.
Then she heard a hawk call somewhere far away.
A sharp sting in her heart made her hand stop.
Sasuke could summon hawks.
Her eyes closed and tears spilled with new vigour. Every reminder of what used to be hurt like a kunai to the heart.
Sasuke... why? Why did you die?
She bit her tongue and stared at the beautiful corpse of a powerful man who shouldn't have died. He should have won and fought on. That way Sakura and Naruto would have a will to fight on, to live.
As it was now, she just wanted to die.
The hawk sounded again and the loud noise in the silent plain tore at Sakura's aching head.
Go away. Just go away. Disappear. Vanish. Begone.
The memory hurt, the very sight of his body did as well.
She reached out, placing the torch to the pyre.
He was dead. He shouldn't be there anymore. He should be gone.
The wood caught on fire.
Sakura stepped back, watching the blazing flames slowly devouring the pyre, spreading higher. After a time Sakura thought was way too long, Sasuke's clothes were set ablaze as well.
And Sakura stood there, watching the love of her life burning with glazed eyes. Burning to ashes.
She would see that face never more.
As the fire on the pyre intensified, the flames inside her were slowly dying out.
Her pain was eaten away along with Sasuke's flesh.
They were both burning, but it was a cleansing fire. And in the ashes, there was a chance for new life, new joys to sprout, like a rebirth of a phoenix.
Something new will come; she knew that as the fire continued its destructive spree, leaving none of Sasuke's beauty behind.
It took it all, but promised far more.
They found Sakura the day after, lying next to a pile of ash slowly being carried away by wind, dirty and covered with blood.
Naruto wasn't with them.
They took her away from Sasuke's slowly disappearing grave. She didn't resist.
She was in peace with herself.
Because where she was burning yesterday, there were only scars. It would take time to heal them, but they would heal over time. And she would live on.
If for nothing else but Sasuke's memory.
Peace, love and ashes that scatter like petals,
Yami no Moya-hime... 3