Hyuuga Neji…
Sabaku no Gaara…
Uchiha Sasuke…
The end is coming…Ahem, I don't quite agree with the longer it takes the better but I'll try neh.
>Runs away from Gaara - Hey! I'm writing this! And I'm keeping you partly in character!
>Gaara chases Jyo-Chan - PARTLY! You're joking! I'm way off character!
>Still running - I'll get you for this Hao'sAnjul!
>Hao'sAnjul laughing in the distance…
'Yeah, we made it in like four days sure, but we were already pretty much out of it by the time we arrived.' Sakura panted as she grabbed onto her knees for support. She looked over at Naruto and Gaara, she could understand why they weren't as tired as the rest. 'Lucky demons…'
She forced herself up, according to what Neji said, "These are the stronger forces now, Orochimaru must be getting desperate to get rid of us." They must have been lower level ninjas when they fought Sound last time.
Sure the forces of Sound were slowly diminishing, but what they need is to get rid of Orochimaru, so they could get rid of the whole nation. Once the last ninja of that area was killed, they tried to formulate a plan.
They decided to use Sasuke as bait to get Orochimaru out and Gaara to kill him off, while Naruto distracted Kabuto to prevent him from healing the legendary snake-user.
While the next wave came closer, they carried out their plans, leaving Sasuke in the central while Gaara and Naruto were close enough to help if he gets in trouble with Orochimaru.
"Sasuke-kun, how nice to see you again. I apologize for not coming out to meet you last time." Orochimaru purred at him. Sasuke's eyes flared Sharing an as Orochimaru came closer. The Uchiha prodigy drew out his kunai and shuriken.
"I'm hurt Sasuke-kun, why would you want to hurt me when I've offered you power?" Orochimaru stopped and faked sadness, Sasuke winced at the sudden pain on his neck. "You know you want it, in order to kill your brother, embrace it…" he held out his arms for Sasuke.
He dropped his weapons and lowered his head, as if to succumb to the darkness. In the distance, Naruto shouted out, "SASUKE!" Realizing what was happening, he dropped his position and ran off to stop anything bad from happening but Kabuto stopped him. "Just where are you going, Naruto-kun?" The blonde cursed at himself before shouted out to Gaara who ran off in Sasuke's direction.
"What shall we play today, Naruto-kun."
"How about I kick your ass." Naruto growled at him.
"And I'll kick yours." Kabuto smiled.
"Gay bastard…"
While Naruto was busy with Kabuto, Gaara made his way over to Sasuke and stopped just in front of him. "Come any closer and I'll kill you."
"I guess you wanna kill me for killing your father, hm Gaara-kun?" Orochimaru held his chin up high as if to mock them.
"No, I thank you for killing him, I'm just sad I didn't get the chance of killing him myself, but then again. It's one less problem I have to deal with." Gaara sneered back as he commanded his sand to lunge at him. Orochimaru easily dodged it but continued to stare at Sasuke. 'My prize…'
"Gaara…I have an idea…it's sick, but it'll work." Sasuke whispered out so that only the red head can hear. "Keep him distracted alright?"
"Yeah, whatever, just tell me the plan."
Orochimaru kept a constant eye on Sasuke, watching his prize fight back for the right to have power.
"Sasuke! What the hell are you doing!" Gaara shouted out as he tried to evade a slash from Sasuke's kunai. "This isn't part of the freaking plan!"
"I don't care, I want power, I need power to get rid of my brother. I will have my power!" Orochimaru couldn't help but smile sadistically at his prize. 'Yes, Sasuke-kun. Fight for me, fight for power.'
He took a glimpse at Kabuto and the Kyuubi, he was faring well considering that he was up against a demon holder, but lucky for his good medical skills he was able to survive this far, if not for them, he would've died already.
Sasuke summoned up his chakra to deliver the final blow to Gaara, blue threads of chakra could be seen coming from his hand as he readied himself for the Chidori. Gaara realized that Sasuke will be able to penetrate his ultimate defense but it would still be able to absorb much of the impact. He summoned up his sand to surround him as Sasuke charged forward with his Chidori in tow, the sound of a thousand birds emanating from his hand.
The Chidori made hard impact with his ultimate defense and cracking through it to Gaara forcing him out of his sand dome and rolling back on the floor with a hard thud, sand and dust encircled them, blocking Orochimaru's view of the fight. The only one left standing was Sasuke himself, panting hard. Naruto shouted out from the distance, "GAARA!"
"GAARA!" that scream came from Naruto, that scream that she has never heard before, with such fear and despair, she got distracted and stared in horror from where that scream came from.
'Gaara!' she searched around desperately for him, forgetting that she was in a fight with a Sound-nin. She looked on the ground and found a bleeding and unconscious sand-nin.
"Gaara!" she tried to run to him, but she got pulled back by her opponent.
"You have no time for your team-mates girl." He spoke as he continued to pull on her hair. She began to cry as she fell to her knees and watched Gaara in the distance.
'I'm still weak, I can't believe I'm still weak…so useless…'
'Yes Sasuke-kun, fight for me and fight for power.'
Once he felt that Gaara is no longer a nuisance to him, he walked up slowly to the snake-user. "You better give me power."
"Of course Sasuke-kun, I never lie." Sasuke remained quiet as Orochimaru raised his arms.
"You know you want it…" he saw the look on his face, filled with disgust and the need for power. He never took his eyes away from him, even when he heard the screams of his apprentice.
"SASUKE!" Naruto shouted out but with one look from Orochimaru, he was paralyzed beyond belief, unable to do anything but watch as Sasuke come forth in the embrace.
Just a few more inches to the embrace, Naruto forced himself to shout out something that might get his attention, "SAKURA!"
Sasuke turned to find Sakura kneeling on the floor with her back turned to her opponent who was smiling unpleasantly at the weak girl, his hold on her hair growing stronger. He saw the look on her face, so filled with pain and sadness.
"Sakura!" he activated his Sharingan and ran off to help Sakura but Orochimaru intercepted. "If you want power, and if you want me to give you that power, then I want everything from you. And I don't want you to have stupid little distractions!" Sasuke stood and stared in horror as he watched Orochimaru kill his own troop and came forward to Sakura, she gaped at the sennin as he came closer and closer to her.
He stopped just in front of her and called on his Sword of Kusunaga. He had this smile of menace on his face and satisfaction when he saw the look of fear from her eyes. He brought it down and blood smeared all over her face and clothes. But he never expected it to hit somebody else other than the girl.
'What?'
It was Gaara who took the blow for Sakura, the blade was hacked into his shoulder and a look of pain crossed his features. The sand-nin winced before using his other hand to hold Orochimaru and the sword in place. Out of the corner of his eye, Orochimaru saw Sasuke run up to him and took hold of his body.
"What!" Orochimaru gasped in dismay as Sasuke smirked at him before turning into a sand clone, wrapping itself around Orochimaru's body, making it impossible to get out of, soon Gaara raised his hand and used his technique. "Sabaku Sou Sou!" he clamped down his fingers and the blood of Orochimaru flew everywhere. The technique that held Naruto in place was let go off and Gaara's 'other' body disappeared in a puff of smoke revealing Sasuke instead. Neji went over to check up on Sasuke while Naruto watched Gaara and Sakura.
"Gaara…" finally out of her stupor to stare in awe at him. "Why did you do it?"
He coughed up blood before replying, "I swore that I'd protect you…even if you didn't love me back…"
"I DIDN'T NEED YOU TO PROTECT ME!" she shouted out as tears slid down her cheeks, overflowing emotions of sadness and pain on her face. It was starting to rain again, just like before.
He was unable to hold himself up any longer, but Sakura held onto him before he fell. He gazed at her with fading eyes, and his gaze shifted to the crying sky. 'It's always raining when she cries…'
"I don't want you to die…" she sniffed as she watched his features change, to one of pain to almost happiness. He lifted his bloodied hand to her cheek trying to smear away her tears but blood replaced them, and with his last spoken words before drifting into a state of comatose he whispered out his last words.
"I love you, my Sakura…"
Ever since Gaara was admitted to hospital, her life has been nothing but an emotional blur. Every morning she would wake up with red and swollen eyes because she had cried the night before. And every night she would cry herself off to sleep.
She was a wreck.
She used to be pretty and strong. She couldn't be bothered making herself look pretty anymore. Not even for the sake of looking good in front of her beloved Gaara, since he was in a lifeless, sleeping state. She guessed that he overused the Shukaku this time around.
Sometimes she would be seen walking aimlessly around the village with the neutral face and nothing more or less. Ino would always try to make her smile but always failed. Lee would attempt to make her happy too but like Ino, he was unable to make her smile. As much as Naruto hated her punching him on the head, he hated to see her miserable even more. Sasuke tried to make her smile, as well as Neji.
How long has it been since she last saw Gaara? A week maybe? Two…? It's actually been almost a month since. She tried not to cry every time she went to see him, but she always brought a bunch of flowers for him.
Everybody she knew came to visit him, all her friends and his friends. Ino didn't really know Gaara that well, but she came to support her friend.
It wasn't that weird though…when Sasuke and Neji came even though he they had fought countless of times. Perhaps out of respect then, Naruto came too. It was surprising how the next day she would find Haru and Chiyako at her doorsteps, she would've shouted out with glee if not for her depressed state.
She's not alone.
Come to think of it, she hasn't spoken a word since their departure. Not a single sound apart from sobs. Tsunade would still let her team do missions. Simple missions that require very little thinking and effort. It belittled her ability but then again she didn't mind. She didn't care anymore.
She still lives in the house alone. It was slightly dusty since the only room she ever really uses is her own and the bathroom. She hardly ever eats anymore due to depression.
Most people pig out when they're depressed but she doesn't. She just sits in her room and cries herself to sleep.
On the days when they meet up for training, Kakashi-sensei would sometimes let her stay and watch. Maybe let her spar with Naruto or himself, sometimes even with Sasuke. Sometimes Neji would stop by and check on her. Sometimes he would let her go home or give her a break from training. She's had so many breaks already, she was getting weaker and weaker.
One day, she was holding onto a bouquet of daffodils to wish him good health and such. The more the better. She slowly trudged into the hospital, smiling slightly when she signed herself in to check up on Gaara, but the nurse stopped her before she got far.
"Ah sorry miss, but I'm afraid that this patient is no longer in."
"What do you mean?" starting to fear for the worse. 'Don't tell me he's head, he can't be dead.'
"Hm, he got signed off perhaps two hours ago."
"Where did he go? Who signed him out? Did you see which way he went?" Sakura asked her but left before the nurse got to saw anything.
She ran down the streets, holding onto her bouquet tightly but stopped in front of Ichiraku Ramen.
"NARUTO! WHERE'S GAARA!"
"Ano? Uh…isn't he in the hospital?" Naruto asked as he scratched his head.
"He's not there! Somebody signed him out. I don't know where to go!" she was almost in tears now.
"Hey, don't cry. Ano…Ok, maybe he's walking somewhere, um…try the training fields ok?" Naruto used his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and ran off in separate directions. "Thanks Naruto."
"No problem." Naruto smiled before running off. She did as she was told, dumping behind the daffodils since they were nothing but a nuisance and they were already wilting in her hands. She ran to every training field she knew and every one she knew Gaara used to train in.
'He's not here!' she ran into the field but not seeing anything remotely red, she began to panic. 'One more field left, please be there, please be there!' she begged to herself.
Sakura ran through the think foliage of Konoha, finding the best and fastest way to the last field, by the time she got there, her hair was a mess. She jumped into the clearing and saw something in the middle. Curious, she slowly walked up to it. It was a bouquet of cherry blossoms. She turned around, hoping to find Gaara but saw nothing but green.
She turned back to the bouquet and silently gathered it in her arms, she noticed a small card drop out of the bunch and onto the grass. She picked it and read it.
I love you, my Sakura.
'Gaara?' she thought she heard his voice when she read it but when she read it again, there was no voice. She looked up at the sky and wished that Gaara was there, beside her. His voice, so close yet so far. Then she heard it again.
"I love you, my Sakura." Eyes wide she turned around to meet him face to face.
"Gaara?" she questioned herself whether he was real or not, she didn't want to end up crying again. He nodded as she raised her hand to his cheek, she could feel the warmth, his warmth. She saw his 'love' tattoo on his forehead, the fatigue rings around his eyes, his red hair and greens orbs. "Gaara?" tears of happiness watered her eyes as a smile touched her lips. "I've missed you so much." She swung her arms around his neck and held him in a tight embrace which he returned.
"I'm sorry I've made you wait." He whispered into her ear as she shed tears of happiness.
"As long as you're back, then all is forgiven." He closed his eyes as he gently let her go. He gazed into her eyes, filled with love and longing, sadness and happiness all at once. "I love you."
"I love you too." She smiled at him as he leaned in for a kiss.
'Forever.'
Naruto sure is shouting a lot ain't he? Thank you for all your support! I enjoy writing out this fic for all of you people! Please check out the others eh? Long chapter…I was aiming for thirty chapters…but oh wells…I decided to make this long…Hehee!
I'm sorry if some of you guys were hoping for a Sasuke and Sakura or a Neji and Sakura fic but I guessed, it turned out differently than to what I expected. Eehehe…
Please read and review! Sweet, cheers all! Damn...had a stupid spelling mistake there...but all fixed! I think...