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Woo hoo, I'm back! Sorry, to keep you waiting. I had lengthy obsessions over soap operas and video games over the past few weeks... This might be crappy since I haven't written for such a long time... ANYWAY, ENJOY!
Key:
'...text' past/dream/thoughts
"...text" present/dialogue
Diamond Vision
Two
He was dreaming.
He knew it. And he was.
The unconscious part of his mind was being led somewhere. Somewhere familiar...dark, yet docile... Somewhere he was not alone.
" Ne, Sasuke-kun... Have you thought about your life after you avenge your clan?"
Yes, he can see himself clearly now, standing on the bridge where the three of them, as a team, used to meet when they were little.
It was the place that brought back many memories.
That night, the luminous sphere hung high in the sky where it goes undisturbed by the blanket of velvet darkness. Crystal waters of the Konoha River flowed silkily through the large and small stones that laid within its depths. Once its image had fallen above the river's surface, the moon was robbed of its perfection and shattered into tiny pieces.
The moon was his only guide that night...
...But he was not alone.
The presence of another chakra source, too calming to be masculine, yet too witty to be feminine, rested beside him.
No one he knew emitted an aura flow as unique as hers—the maiden with hair as smooth as the fresh blooming cherry blossoms, eyes as green as spring, and lips as luscious as plump strawberries.
Sakura...
The two of them stood there, side by side, leaning against the wooden railing of the bridge for support. He kept his usual distance of five feet being the Uchiha Sasuke that he was, and was mute, unless spoken to.
Try as he may, he could not recall the reason to why he was there in the first place.
Maybe he was out of his mind... Or...
" I guess I won't be seeing you anytime soon, now that you've made it to ANBU."
...that.
" Aa..."
" I don't see much of Naruto and Kakashi-Sensei anymore, either..." She sighed, propping her head up with her elbows. " What happened to Team Seven?"
Silence. Not even a chirp from the nightingales.
" It seems that everyone's got something they want to do..."
More silence.
" What about you, Sasuke-kun? Have you ever thought about your life after you avenge your clan?" He stiffened as soon as the words fell from her mouth. " I mean... going after your brother had been your goal this whole entire time... So what about your life after you achieve this goal?"
His face darkened, visibly.
" ...The Uchiha restoration."
" Eh?" She shot him a questioning look, unsure of the true meaning hidden behind those words.
" Do you understand, Sakura?" Turning, he let his cool gaze pierce her own under his unruly dark bangs. " The Uchiha clan must prevail. It is up to me to fulfill this duty."
Thump.
With one hand cradling the other, both rose and was placed before her chest to pacify her increasing heartbeat.
"... U-Uchiha o-offsprings?" She managed out, finding it extremely difficult to talk properly under his watchful eyes. " ...Does that mean... you're going to look for a wife?"
" That's right." He confirmed, turning away from her to head back home. He was terribly fatigued. The Uchiha had already done more talking than usual. It wasn't any of her business to give a damn about his future anyway. " I'm going-..."
" I'll be your wife!" She cut him off with her sudden outburst.
Both of his sandaled feet stopped their movement as he stood there in a sudden paralyzed state.
Silence.
He took the time to digest her impetuous offer.
" I'll be your wife!"
Why?
He didn't understand. How had she made her decision without hesitation? Why was she so straight forward-as if there was no way that she'd go back on her words?
Did she know that she'd end up regretting?
" ...Why?"
He could picture her wearing her confident smile as she gave her reply.
" Because, aside from wanting to have your kids, I want to protect you."
Protect him? Who was she kidding?
" Useless. You're too weak, Sakura."
" I know..." She admitted quietly, voice void of all the excitement from before. " But it doesn't mean I can't try."
Curling his fingers together tightly into his palm, he continued.
" Stop trying, Sakura. I don't need protection. Especially from someone as weak as you."
" I will grow stronger," she insisted. " You'll see... If you only had eyes like mine..."
" Shut up, you're annoying." To this point, he had found it hard to keep himself composed while his fist shook with a force that turned his knuckles white.
He had to get out of that place. There was no way that he could stay there any longer without wanting to hurt her.
Quickly gathering chakra into his feet, he leapt away, leaving the emptiness to her company.
He was able to escape reality, to escape the truth, yet, he was unable to escape without hearing her final words.
" Sasuke... You baka..."
Slowly, like a newly developed mature butterfly tearing down the walls of the harden cocoon, he broke down the door that trapped him within darkness.
He blinked.
Once. Twice.
His sight, his dark depths, was finally fully exposed to light, fully exposed to the colorless surroundings that encompassed him as a whole.
Where was he, anyway?
" Yo, Sasuke-bastard, you're finally awake!"
' That sounds oddly familiar.'
Little by little, he used his newfound strength to push himself up from the soft surface he had been lying on for who knows how long. And from the way his bones replied with groans and crackles, he guessed that it had been a decade since the last time he was off on his feet.
He made up his mind to do some training once he was out of the place that smelled like "old people"(analogized by the fox boy).
Once he was fully recovered from the delirium that plagued his vision, his eyes roamed around the small room, discovering that almost every area and corner of the chamber had already been occupied.
He raised a fine brow.
" Why are you all here?" ' Even the instructors.' He added mentally.
" The obaasan said you'd be up today!" That loud and obnoxious voice, no doubt belonging to the man who claims to be the next Hokage, exclaimed.
" I don't see how that's any of your business." He retorted, crossing his arms before his chest.
" Why you, bastard! You still haven't changed even after Sakura-Chan-..." A gloved hand was placed on to his shoulder before he had the chance to finish his sentence.
" Enough, Naruto." The masked Jounin, his former teacher, admonished in a quiet tone.
He shrugged off the hand stubbornly, sky blue orbs burning with protest.
" But, Kakashi-Sensei-..."
" Drop it, Uzumaki. You're being troublesome."
' The dobe is behaving strangely...' He noted mentally as he watched the others attempt in calming the blonde. The Uchiha felt as if they were all trying to hide something from him. There was no way he enjoyed being the only outsider here.
" Gah! That's it! I'm leaving!" The orange figure stomped out of the room, fuming.
" P-please e-excuse m-me..." A timid voice stuttered, its owner rushing out to catch up with the visitor who left not long ago.
' What the hell?'
" Kakashi, what's going on? What was that idiot saying about Sakura?" He demanded, thin brows knitting together.
Something was missing. He could feel it. Or rather, someone's chakra that he had familiarized himself with was not present in the crowd.
That aura emitting uniquely from the Cherry Blossom spirit.
" Where is she?"
Soon, the whole place was caught in an uncomfortable silence.
Deafening, it almost was.
" Well, currently, she's busying herself with a few errands from the Hokage." The silver-haired man replied in his usual calm voice.
Sasuke was unconvinced.
" Oh," eyes of coal narrowed. "...really?"
Author's Crap:
I had trouble writing this chapter...
Till next time!