Disclaimer: See it on chapter two.
I Dreamt of a Butterfly
Chapter Three
The next time she saw him was at the marketplace.
She hadn't been expecting to see him there, alone. In a sense.
There were three of them ganging up on him. All of them were undoubtedly smaller, punier and less muscular in comparison to him. It was indeed the saddest and most pathetic of sights to see Sasuke crouched helplessly in a corner of the alley, unwilling and perhaps unable to retaliate.
"Pathetic!"
One of them was laughing his head off at Sasuke.
"Know what? I was in the same class as you long ago… I watched you do all your Justus and scoring full marks for every one of them. I watched you come in first every year!"
He kicked Sasuke in the stomach. The Uchiha doubled over, coughing and gasping.
"Konoha wasn't good enough for you, I suppose! You had to run off to the Sound, huh? You traitor…"
Another kick was aimed at his chest.
"TRAITOR…"
One of them grabbed a fistful of his hair, dragging him up. "And then when Orochimaru didn't want you, you scrambled right back to us, huh?"
Sasuke cried out in pain.
"Why don't you go back to where you belong? To that bunch of bastards?"
It happened in that moment. Several kunai whizzed through the air, effectively pinning the bullies' clothes and themselves to the wall.
"If I ever see you three picking on Sasuke again," Haruno Sakura whispered, her voice trembling with every syllable, "I'll kill you."
She turned on her heel and left, and Sasuke picked himself up and followed, limping as he clutched his side in pain. But he made no complaint as he made after Sakura.
o
o
o
She ran, he ran; she walked, and he followed. They reached a flower field; she gave up trying to throw him off and sat down on a grassy spot. He plopped himself down beside her and stared at her somewhat expectantly. He didn't seem to be in the least bit affected by what he had just gone through minutes ago. Sakura stared at him and relented, hovering her hands over the bruised parts of his body and releasing her chakra into them.
Sasuke eyes spoke volumes of awe as his wounds were healed, but he said nothing. He wasn't smiling when he looked at her. She found she liked it better that way.
He was more like the Sasuke she knew then…
"You're… not really grateful for my help, are you?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant as she looked away. She stood up and walked away slightly, as though preparing to leave.
His answer threw her off guard.
"Everytime I see you, you are either angry or sad," he said. "You are always crying. You were crying just now."
I was? She drew her hand across her eyes and was surprised to see moisture on them. "So… you don't want me to cry everytime I see you?" she asked, but she was no longer sure of what she was trying to ask.
"Of course," he stated, his eyes wide and round.
"But you don't even know me, do you?" she asked, a faint tremble in her tone.
He looked taken aback now.
"Yes… you don't know me. You don't remember me. Why should you even care?" Sakura took a step towards him, a challenging glint in her emerald orbs. Without thinking, she rushed on, "Tsunade-sama said you can't remember us because you don't want to remember us. She thinks you find your memories too painful to recall. But… our days as Team 7 – weren't they happy? Weren't those days the most meaningful days of your life? How can you choose to forget Naruto? Even now, how can you push him away? Why is it unbearable to think about him? Naruto and I were both your closest friends, but why is it only him, and not me? Not me?"
He didn't say a word. His eyebrows knitted together into a frown that clearly showed that he did not understand. His fists were clenched at his side as he returned her stare. But the expression in his eyes was different. He looked lost and forlorn, like a little child. Sakura turned away and put her head in her hands.
"Sorry, I've been… raving." She sank down onto the grass, her knees drawn up to her chest. Laughing bitterly, she went on, more to herself than to Sasuke, "You always used to be the one who'd protect me. You were so strong, so powerful. All the girls liked you and all the guys wanted to be like you. But you always walked around with stooped shoulders, like you carried the weight of the world. You were filled with so much pain and I could see that. You couldn't smile.
"But now you're a complete opposite of who you used to be." Sakura looked up, searching Sasuke's dark eyes for a hint of the old Uchiha she knew in them.
"You're empty. Hollow. Like a shell."
He sat down beside her, not comprehending. Maybe he did. But he said nothing about her previous statement as he touched her hand lightly and said, "Sakura-chan…"
"…What?"
"I… I did try to remember Sakura-chan." And, without warning, a brilliant smile sprang onto his face.
"Actually, I think I do!" Now he looked as excited as a little child presented with his first bag of sweets. "Because I knew Sakura-chan was kind warm. I knew it from the first time I saw Sakura-chan! I knew Sakura-chan cared about me, so I thought, 'Sakura-chan must know me from a long time ago.' And… I can feel it. You… you are an important person to me!"
If only, if only. If only it had been the real Uchiha Sasuke saying this to her. She thought she would be happy dying at this very moment. Sakura laid her temple down onto her knees and closed her eyes. "I am…?" she whispered, her voice coming out muffled.
He nodded, almost excitedly. "That is why I want you to be happy, Sakura-chan!" His face grew serious. "Sakura-chan, I can't remember my past. But I don't mind not knowing anymore. I only know I am happy now. Maybe I am weak and stupid. Maybe I really am a… retard. But… Sakura, I am happy. You should be happy, too! If not for me, then, at least, for yourself."
He is happy…
Heart racing slightly, she looked up again to see an entrancing image. Sasuke was sitting among the flowers, with his hands cupped together, palms facing upwards. He was holding a beautiful butterfly. He was laughing without restraint at this creation of Nature he now held. Sakura inhaled sharply at the sight. He looked so innocent and childlike, as though the woes and worries of the world were completely lost to him. He cupped the butterfly gently, ever so gently, with fingers that had once twirled and gripped a kunai with amazing dexterity. He cupped the butterfly so gently with strong hands that once would usually glow blue with the onset of his chakra. Hands – hands that had once hurt, killed. Uchiha Sasuke stared down at the butterfly with a soft, curious gaze. Sakura knew she would never again see the Sharingan in those eyes.
"You're… happy?"
He blinked and looked over at her. And he smiled.
"Yes," he replied.
She gave a sigh; a small, wistful sigh that seemed to completely release the burden from her shoulders.
"If you're happy, then… I'm happy, too…"
Author's Notes:
Once again, I'm really glad you all enjoyed the previous chapter. Thanks for all the nice reviews and keep them coming! I'm glad people have managed to stay open-minded about SasuSaku and various other issues. –huggles everyone- :D
I suppose this is one of my shortest (and perhaps most pointless) chapters EVER… I hope you guys liked it. It gets a little too fluffy from here – you'll be able to see what I mean in the next chapter. I hope I managed to keep OOC-ness to a minimum, and once again if there're any typos please inform me.
Next chapter should be out some time next week. Sorry to disappoint you guys, but… the next part is the last official chapter. Following that is an epilogue. I never intended this to be a long piece of fanfiction, because I think my creative juices run dry pretty quickly and I lack the commitment, so… my apologies.
Okay… I'm sidetracking a little, but I can't help it. A little piece of advertisement to all who wish to roleplay Naruto characters (or any other anime/manga char, basically) in a multi-fandom universe – http: is the place to go. More information can be found in the 'user info' link. We're still very, very short of members and we'd appreciate more applications! Female characters are especially welcome (because bishounen have been flooding the board lately. :P Not that I mind, but…) Hope to see you there!
And, once again, thanks for reading my fic. )