19 : Sasuke, Tsunade
By: Kokoro Kakera HP ^^
Disclaimer: Naruto, (Manga, anime, products, etc.), belongs to Kishimoto Masashi
Author's Notes:
=_= Hot... Too hot these days... Maybe it wasn't completely a bad thing. It wasn't too hard to write the parts that had to do with fire and melting because of the heat I suffered through.
It was painful writing this chapter. Cream filling chapters are like that. I finished it though! ...How long has it been since I last updated!? X_X
Hn... With Naruto and Sakura gone, I'm pretty much stuck with Sasuke all the time. I'm beginning to see a setback against me in my plot. >.>
The smell of smoke touched her nose as she approached her destination. Tsunade squelched the small nagging growth of panic within her chest that rose as an answer to the stimuli, knowing that it would only be a hindrance to a clear and sensible mind. 'I can heal the body anyway.'
Tsunade winced at the thought of looking upon the grotesque features of a burnt corpse. If she came only a little after the fire had just touched the girl, she might have to deal with seeing an only partially burned body - which was worse in some instances. Hair would be partly melted to skin that resembled liquefying wax and both would smell horrendous. If the skin peeled off in the heat, the insides would be shown as a dark blistering and bubbling mass amongst patches of intact smoke-polluted skin. Having attended her own share of cremation ceremonies, she knew the stages of appearance for a body devoured by fire. Somehow, no matter how mild the damage, it was never less than revolting to look at.
'Why would those be issues at all?' Tsunade reprimanded herself for being so squeamish. Anyway, such situations would be better than finding little or nothing at all.
Sasuke stalked forlornly down the worn grassy path that would lead him back to his home. He couldn't even recollect why he'd gone to see Sakura in the first place. She was indefinitely dead and nothing he could do or say would change that.
"Sasuke-kun!"
He had never made a habit out of spending time with Sakura. With her gone, nothing more than a few odd hours from each day during missions when he saw her would be affected. Yet... strangely, he felt really lonely when he thought about not having her around anymore. 'I'm in shock.' He realized. He, Sasuke, the one who had walked upon the still warm bodies of his dead parents in a room coated from wall to floor with their blood, couldn't accept all at once that one of his closest friends had died. He didn't want to face up to the startling reality of his life, nor deal with the pain that came with it.
He absently touched the base of his neck again, fingers probing the area as if searching for something there. He remembered giving the curse up, vowing not to use it again under any circumstances - not knowing how different things would be in the future.
More than the death of his parents, more than his thoughts of revenge against Itachi, Sasuke wanted to give into the curse seal again and thus be able to rip out the throats of the ninja who had destroyed his life. This was the second time; he realized bitterly, that his happiness had been torn away. Both occasions being allowed to occur because he had ended up too weak to prevent them.
'Appear.' He couldn't care less about some naive promise he had made before. He didn't care if Kakashi or Tsunade - people who didn't understand despite giving the impression they did, disapproved of his decision. Sasuke hissed when the unusual tingle of power that would arise with the curse scar didn't appear, despite his desperate mental command for it. To his knowledge, the seal that contained it should have been made useless by his desire to reawaken the curse! A malignant bud of rage within him sprouted and grew with incredible speed, nearly choking him with its intensity. Why wouldn't it come out? Sasuke's eyes reddened, the sharingan mistaking his bloodlust and distress for a summoning to a battle. Orochimaru's curse seal couldn't have just ceased to exist!
Before Sasuke could fulminate over the perplexing subject any longer, a blur of colour swept by him, yanking up a trail of dust far behind. It had happened instantaneously. The dust rose milliseconds long after being trampled on, as needing to realize that it had an obligation to rise before doing so. That kind of speed was frightening. Had Sasuke blinked, he probably wouldn't have seen anything at all.
'But where were they headed?' Perhaps it had something to do with the people he was after? If that were the case then he would gladly help them in their pursuit, if that were what it was. He was a capable chuunin after all, probably near or even at the jounin level. Perhaps there was a reason he hadn't been informed of the mission, or whatever business this ninja was carrying out? Curiosity poked insistently at Sasuke's insides and without thinking about it, he took a hesitant step in the direction the ninja had taken. If he didn't go now, then he would never. Deciding that he'd rather risk getting in trouble then wonder about what could happen, Sasuke sprinted after the ninja, easily following the ravaged trail they'd left.
The large fire burned steadily atop Sakura's coffin. From it, smoke billowed thickly in large black puffs and moved in a sluggish glide skyward. The darkened air around it harboured the smoke's unpleasantly strong odor and traces of it were even palatable, leaving an acidic sting on the tongue. It also made the eyes burn and Ino found herself feeling grateful for that fact as she closed them to ease the irritating stinging sensation. She didn't want to see the actual burning of her best friend's body. Sakura's beautiful body - a vibrant crush of colours, would be reduced into mere black ashes, leaving no identifiable trace of the way she had once looked. 'Please... don't let this be...'
"Sakura!" She cried mournfully.
A fierce gust of wind cut off her cry and caused her to stumble forward onto her hands. Wavering as she got up to her feet, she bewilderedly looked for the source of the wind. She didn't have to try very hard. The sound of snapping wood caught her attention and Ino looked just in time to see Tsunade pick up Sakura's body from the coffin's padded cushion, framed by a charred and splintered mess that used to be the sides.
Tsunade, alarmed by how far the ceremony progressed already had hastily destroyed the coffin, hoping that Sakura's body hadn't acquired too much damage if at all. Laying the body on the ground, she anxiously checked the girl for any real damage aside from the injuries that had killed her.
Mouth agape, Ino stared at the stunningly beautiful, generously endowed woman before her - one that had just interrupted and dishonoured a funeral ceremony. She found it embarrassingly difficult to register what she was seeing. Then again, having the Hokage drop in during a cremation ceremony just to crash it wasn't something that happened everyday. "Wh-why-what-" She stuttered, her mind drawing blank as it fumbled for a reason for the Fifth's appearance and actions.
"Tsunade-sama!" Even Kakashi appeared to be shocked.
Sighing in relief when she realized Sakura hadn't sustained any burns and had just become a little dirty, Tsunade picked her up again and turned, wondering what was the best way to explain what she had just done. 'It'd better be damn good.' She could tell by Kakashi and Ino's incensed expressions that they had no idea why she was there in the first place and would readily accept spontaneous insanity as an answer considering her actions.
A soft shuffle of grass folding underneath a cautiously lowered weight brought Tsunade's attention to a third person that had just arrived.
Panting lightly, Sasuke approached the last place he wanted to be, but couldn't avoid now. His feet were habitually quiet, so Sasuke didn't worry too much about how much noise he made as he apprehensively came closer to inspect the area. A dirtied pink caught his eye right away. Sasuke's heart pounded rapidly in fearful response as he tried to blink away the hallucination. When that didn't work, he shook his head roughly. Frustration grew and made him tense because it wouldn't go away, no matter what he did - the sight of Sakura cradled within Tsunade's arms. A sight that despite everything that had happened so far, gave him hope - that would be quickly disintegrated once he regained his wits and stopped wishing for the impossible.
"Sasuke." Tsunade's calm voice didn't help his unease. It also gave the image before him startling realness.
"What are you doing?" He asked lowly, unsurely.
"I know I must look outrageous at the moment, but I need all of you to restrain your feelings and quietly follow me."
Weariness and distrust filled Sasuke to the brim and he didn't feel like hiding it. Too much had happened and being a passive, good little boy was the last thing he wanted. He glared at her as he spoke again. "What makes you-"
"Sasuke." Kakashi's voice sounded stern. "That was a request from the Hokage."
"Come." Tsunade, mindful of Sasuke's bitter expression, chose to say as little as possible. She had no wish to test his level of patience at the moment and there was little time for them to discuss anything in the first place. She inclined her head as a sign for them to follow as she headed back to her office.
Having gathered everyone together in a quiet room, Tsunade took a deep breath to prepare. Although her face appeared cool, her eyes flickered nervously out of impulse to Sasuke. The boy glanced tentatively at Sakura's corpse and then hurriedly turned his head away, looking ill. She felt a twinge of pity and guilt with the knowledge that she would be giving him another burden to bear.
Tsunade kept her face still and voice as calm as possible. "I was able to decipher the scroll the rogue ninja had on him and I can tell you where to go to find Naruto."
"Naruto?" Sasuke's complete attention immediately went straight to her. "Where?" The Hokage held up a hand to silence him.
"Wait." Sasuke's brow furrowed and he bit his tongue to keep himself from blurting out that he didn't care about anything else at the moment. He wanted to find Naruto, right now. He had been assured of his health, but it wasn't enough. He had to see for himself. But for the sake of being polite and rules set by his village, he had to stay quiet and listen to whatever the Hokage had to say, be it useless dribble or legitimate information.
"Do you know why I stopped this girl's cremation ceremony?" Tsunade asked, her voice dropping to a softer tone. "Why I disrespected it by interrupting the process?"
"How should I know?" Sasuke murmured. He seemed to find the ground interesting then. It made him uncomfortable - talking about Sakura. He could still vividly remember how she had died - tears streaking down her cheeks because she was in so much pain, half of it caused by the cold, hurtful behavior he normally had around her. He regretted it greatly and his insides felt as though they were being burned with ice every time he thought about it.
"That boy, your comrade is important to you, isn't he?"
"What does that have to do with Sakura?" Sasuke asked, quickly avoiding the subject. Tsunade opened her mouth again, ready to explain everything to the boy directly, but held back when he looked at her, eyes catching hers and holding them.
'I hate this. I'm tired. I want it all to just stop. Tsunade felt her heart convulse in sympathy. This was no easy time Sasuke was in, she was sure. She recalled how devastated she had been when her little brother died. After hearing him pour out his dreams to her about becoming the next Hokage, just to see them disappear with him before he neared the age he could make them come true. Then the heartbreak that had followed with the death of a man she had cared for - loved very much. She could still remember his warm gaze and touch even after he was gone. It had hurt to know she would never feel it again. Both incidences had sucked away the joy of her life and left her depressed, angry with herself for being unable to help them and resentful.
'I'm sorry.'
"These ninjas plan to bring back some demon from the dead. For this to happen, they need a sacrifice with... a considerably powerful life force." She chose her words carefully, refraining from saying that Naruto had been chosen because of the nine-tails fox demon he harboured. She glanced back quickly and saw Kakashi's eyes narrowed in comprehension.
"But what does this all have to do with Sakura!?" Ino burst out loud. She had been waiting silently by Kakashi, hoping that Tsunade would reveal everything she wanted to know, but so far, the fifth Hokage seemed to be content just dancing around in circles with her explanation. She quickly apologized for her outburst, not really feeling sorry and closed her mouth. Clenching her teeth together tightly she waited for the answer in painful anticipation.
'Maybe...' She looked at Sakura's prone body lying on Tsunade's desk. 'We'll see each other again, for real.'
"The ritual that is performed." Tsunade continued. "Will establish a link between the living and dead. The bridge that allows life to cross from one to another will be of blood. Naruto will supply the blood and the life." She paused, hoping that Sasuke would be ready to hear what she had to say. "Should Naruto be involved in this ritual before you reach him, then it will be too late to save him."
"What?" Sasuke's eyes had grown wide and Ino and Tsunade saw for the first time, a look of complete terror on his face. Shaking visibly, he backed up until his hand found a support - a desk of some sort - to help him stay standing.
"Sasuke." He couldn't hear her.
"Naruto... will die too?" The room became fuzzy and the memory of Sakura's death replayed itself.
It was raining hard. Walking through muddy grounds and water-slicked streets was difficult. Carrying Sakura made it even more so. His lungs burned and his legs protested at any movement. He was exhausted and he wanted to just lie down and sleep. The only thing keeping him going was the weight in his arms. It reminded him constantly what was at stake.
"Just hold on a little longer. We're almost there." He whispered. She felt so cold. Her skin wasn't supposed to look so pale. Nobody was out because of the rain it seemed. He stumbled a few more steps forward. He could see the bridge where Kakashi met them each morning they met for a mission. Kakashi was there. "Sakura. Look." He swayed on his feet. He didn't let himself collapse until he was sure Kakashi had seen them.
Waking up, Sasuke had turned his head just in time to see Tsunade press a kiss to Sakura's head and pull a bed sheet over her face.
"I'm sorry." A woman's voice apologized softly. Sasuke looked up, his unfocused eyes somehow finding Tsunade's. The whole room seemed to be turning. "When I got to her, she was already..."
"There was nothing she could do." Kakashi said quietly.
'No... the truth was... there was nothing I could do.'
"Sasuke!"
'It's my fault. I'll be alone again. Weak again...'
"Sasuke!" Tsunade stepped forward in one fluid motion and grabbed his chin to force him to look at her. "Listen to me! If you find Naruto in time, you can save him." His eyes dully flitted to hers.
"But if I don't?" He tried to swallow, but the walls of his dry throat rubbed painfully against each other and felt as though they would rip.
"Then... I have a jutsu prepared that will take Naruto's blood from the demon to Sakura instead." Ino let out a sharp gasp, but nobody paid it any mind.
"What are you saying?" Sasuke asked, the parts of his voice that made it through his swelled throat hardly audible even in the hushed silence. A part of him knew exactly what she was saying, but didn't want to acknowledge it. The truth of what he had to do - what he might have to do, made him sick. Sasuke's stomach and heart pounded against each other and his ribs nauseatingly. His throat clenched in an attempt to hold down the rising bile in his esophagus.
The emotionless facade Tsunade had tried to maintain throughout the meeting slowly crumbled. She looked as saddened and guilty as she had the day Sakura died. The strain of such emotions creased her usually bright face with various lines that made her look older.
"What I'm saying is, saving Sakura's body was to make sure you would have some compensation if things don't go as planned. If you can't make it to Naruto in time, then it'll be Sakura you save instead."