Chapter 17: Price For One

"And what can you pay, Uchiha Sasuke?"

"My life," Sasuke said after a while, "Let her cross. I will stay."

He thought of Itachi and his revenge and clenching his fist, tried his best to let it go as well. Surely, her well-being was more meaningful than his brother's demise. After all, what could Itachi's death bring him? Once upon a time, he had thought the answer was revenge. But time had taught him that was only a word. Orochimaru had taught him that it was the path to hell.

Behind him, Sakura protested furiously.

"Sasuke-kun, you can't be serious!" she cried, too upset to notice the smile that danced fleetingly on his lips when he gazed at her.

Yes, she was worth more… infinitely more… than just a word… His fist relaxed. With all of his heart, he wished he could have known that earlier.

"Tch, not enough. A life is nothing more than staying here," replied the old man, refusing his sacrifice with a face hard as stone, "You are a sinner and here, the life of a sinner is worth nothing."

It was a harsh blow, but he persisted, "Then what can I give?"

"Your happiness."

Something in him reacted badly and unable to stop himself, he burst out angrily, "But you're telling me to leave her behind!"

"I will be more precise. By happiness, I refer to the happiness in your soul, given to you by your memories. Fortunately for you, most of her soul remains in the Land of the Living so you are not taking all of her back. Consequently, you will not have to give up all your memories. The most precious, you may keep."

Sakura began desperately, "Sasuke-kun, NO—

"Sakura, be quiet," Sasuke interrupted firmly. He nodded at the boatman, "Alright, you have a deal."

"You know that if you take her back, her payment for you and Uzumaki Naruto will be nulled," the old man told him. There was a warning in those ancient eyes, more dangerous than any foe for what it warned against was eternity, "The next time you come down here, when you come to stay, I might be unable to take you across."

"I understand. She… she shouldn't have had to pay in the first place," here, black eyes clouded slightly with pain, "None of what I did was her fault."

"Are you ready?"

"…Yes."

"Then take my hands."

Sasuke grasped them. He already knew which memories he would be forced to give up. Upon touching the old man's palms, he suddenly felt a presence lurking in his mind. It felt like a web being extended and stretched until it covered all of his thoughts.

The old man was looking into his memories. He could feel fingers sifting through them, as if filtering sand. They fell, like golden grains, one by one. Each was precious and cherished, each a treasure…

Which will you make your payment?

The question was not said aloud, but Sasuke heard and replied,

The ones of my family… the ones of my brother… my love for them and all of the times we spent together before that night…Take them…

As you wish.

And then those were taken by an invisible thief. Sasuke gasped for it felt as if someone had reached into his chest and between his ribcage to squeeze his heart. The pressure was intense and when it disappeared, it felt as if he only had half a heart left. Gone, they're really gone… There was a moment of such wrenching, unendurable loss that he felt like falling to his knees and sobbing.

But he held the emotion in for Sakura was watching him intently and he didn't want to make her feel any worse.

He tried to pull away, but the old man held tight and shook his head.

It is not enough. I need one more memory.

Sasuke stared, seized by disbelief. Then he bowed his head, letting his bangs cover the bitterness in his eyes. Of course, it wouldn't be enough. Even in this, Itachi had left him horribly inadequate.

He could no longer remember his admiration for his brother, just as he could no longer remember being with his parents. There were no more memories left of him and Itachi except the ones he wished he could forget… No more memories of training with his father, of arguing with his mother for extra dessert, of them tucking him into bed, of laughter, of hugs, of "Welcome homes" and "I love yous"… they were beyond his reach now… somewhere in the distance, where his bloody past laid, where his soul knew they existed but where they could not be touched… All those memories so ripped from him…

All of them, that is, except one.

"We love you, Sasuke…"

He was trembling now. He could feel it. But somehow, he managed to fix his gaze on the boatman and nod.

How fortunate, he told himself before the pain hit, I was able to come here to make just one more memory with them.

How fortunate it was. How cruel…

Then it was being ripped away, their faces finally lost to that distance so that their expressions, their voices, and their words were gone forever. And what was left in that wake, the only thing, was that night where the moon was red and they were nothing but bodies frozen on the ground and his brother nothing but a face in the shadows…

His family was dead to him for good now. More than if Itachi had murdered them a hundred times.

The old man let go and this time, he really did sink to his knees.

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Sakura was by his side in an instant, hugging him to her in the warmest embrace he had ever received.

"Gomen," she was saying over and over again, "Gomen…Gomen…"

And each time, it was brighter with emotion until her voice finally was too overcome. Then all she could do then was hold him close and hold him tight. So fierce was she in her embrace that it was enough to return him to his senses and he looked up, their eyes meeting, their tears melting together…

"I'm not leaving without you," he said.

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A/N: Sorry for the wait, but I'll try to have more chapters out soon. This story is close to ending anyways. Anyways, hoped you enjoy the chapter. I know that in the beginning I wrote that Sasuke felt that his revenge was pointless because it gave him nothing. But just keep in mind that in the manga, he already knows this and still feels like he has to kill his brother. Plus, he apparently knows when to give up his life for a teammate; after all, he almost did it for Naruto.

Ultimately, I hoped to convey a complete severance of ties in this chapter. Sasuke is, in a sense, giving up his past.

Next Chapter: The Fall

Working on that and the requested KakaSaku... Until the next post, ja!