Chapter 24: Final Steps and First Kisses
Returning to the surface was easier than he supposed, what with his broken "knee" and all. He had no crutch, but he managed, stifling any cries of pain with an expertise that came from experience. Moving carefully but quickly up the underwater slope, he soon emerged from the river with the shards in hand. The black water dripped down and he shook himself. Hard.
Then, breathing raspy and muscles sore, he began walking away.
There were no more obstacles now. No more shadows and the dead could not reach him here.
This way was the way back. He knew instinctively, though he could not see any path. The river behind him disappeared. There was nothing but darkness now. He did not know what ground he was stepping on. The light was not gone, just too far up ahead to be seen. He knew this was the way; it led away from death, it would lead into life.
He hadn't meant to fall in. That is, into the glass. He had been tired. His eyes had wandered. That was all. In the midst of darkness blacker than night, he had been attracted by a glimpse of orange, the flash of pink, and couldn't help but look. It was the folly of a genius that he did not realize he had not yet escaped death's domain.
Even if it had happened so many times before, he had forgotten how easy the smallest of actions, the most simplest of thoughts could be powerful initiatiors in the Land of the Dead.
It was his biggest mistake: accidentally witnessing her first kiss.
There was a rustling of bushes. She turned rapidly, ready to block with her kunai.
Sasuke could not tear his eyes away. She looked so different, more focused and intense. He never thought she could appear so strong.
The bushes shook again and this time, she flung the dagger neatly toward it. Her hands formed a series of seals and the dagger suddenly became lit with flames.
"Gotcha, Naruto!" she called out triumphantly as the greenery began to blaze. Naruto appeared and ready, she raced forward and delivered a solid blow to the stomach. To her dismay, he disappeared in smoke, "Kage bushin?!"
"Who's got who, Sakura-chan?" the blonde shouted gleefully before pouncing on her from behind. The two went down the hill, fighting and laughing all the way until they were breathless at the bottom.
Sasuke followed and upon seeing them, his eyes widened.
She was lying comfortably in the grass, arms pinned down by the boy on top of her.
No, not a boy, something in his mind whispered. All this time, he had thought of Naruto as some young, foolish, rather stupid child. An opponent, sure, but one from a childhood he had never really lived anyway. Once, their paths had been the same, their goals identical - strenght. But somewhere along the way, they had split, one seeking revenge, the other glory. Rivals no longer, enemies for a while, and then finally just comrades.
Somewhere, along the way, they had each grown up and what one had lost, the other gained.
"…Naruto?"
Her voice brought Sasuke back to the scene before him. The atmosphere as suddenly quiet, questioning, and shy.
The man with the blonde hair and blue eyes, the man that couldn't be Naruto but was didn't respond.
Sasuke, being the genius that he was, knew what was going to happen next. He had seen the weakening, the struggle, the winning desire. Naruto had wanted this for a long time. He tried to rationalize it out but found that there was nothing to rationalize. All the facts supported this reality. Naruto had liked, nay, loved her endlessly and had proven as much on many occasions when he had never done so.
And truth be told, Haruno Sakura had more in common with light-hearted, talkative Uzumaki Naruto than she would ever have with him. And besides, they were only friends now. She had grown up and stopped wanting him that way, remember? Remember?
But even so, he didn't want what would happen to happen. I don't want to see this.
Instead, he watched as Naruto bent down and gently kissed her.
Under a clear, light-filled sky and in a meadow of sunflowers, their lips touched for the first time.
It was something a long time coming. She never pulled away.
He was sitting down, immobile when he had been pushing forward before. He stared at that shard for the longest time. Behind him, the river had suddenly reappeared.
Some part of him whispered to throw it back, toss it back into the depths of darkness, and let the waves swallow it up.
He even wanted to step on it because underneath the layers of his regret, were monsters of jealousy and anger. The glass looked so fragile in his hand, he thought. One tight squeeze, one instance of compressing pressure, and it would shatter into a million, irreparable pieces.
She would never remember it then. That field of sunshine. Never remember that dumbass, the idiot without enough brains to fill a teacup for Sasuke was sure that it had only happened recently. And who, who could possibly hold him accountable?
The second fragment laid a few feet away, dropped in anguish, now untouched but glared at by dark eyes. Surely there was enough life in the other piece for her to survive.
He entertained the dark thoughts for a while, indulged the hurt that was devouring him, and then banished both to as far as they would leave him.
At last, he joined the two pieces together for after all, how could he deny her Naruto when he needed, in some ways, the dobe himself?
No light, no special effects. The two pieces simply touched and merged and then, she was there, standing without a clue of what had happened. He looked at her for the longest time as she blinked and ran a surprised hand through her hair. Then, her green eyes focused on him and she gave him such a smile that in any other circumstance would have caused even his heart to flutter slightly.
"Sasuke-kun?"
As it were, his heart did react but he kept the pain to himself.
The river was gone.
"Don't be afraid of the dark," he advised, rising to his feet.
"What happened to you?" she gasped at his injuries and hurriedly put his arm around her shoulder, supporting him, "What is this place? Where are we going?"
Up ahead, was the way back to Konoha. Up ahead, was where she belonged even if she no longer belonged to him.
"Home," he said and with a smirk, veiling any negative sentiments,added, "That dobe's waited long enough."