This is the second portion of the story. Please forgive me if it's not up to standards, what with school and holiday homework. And to make things worse I had writer's block and it is always difficult doing the first chapters. So go on do a good deed and click on the small button to make a poor girl happy.
Thanks to Daniel of Lorien for ur comments. U inspired me.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or Naruto.
Naruto
The rain is falling, dripping onto my face, my cheeks, streaking my eyes so I cannot see. All I see is red; bleeding red, crimson, like the blood pouring out of Haku's body when he died.
All I feel is pain, unbearable pain tearing at my chest, the same pain when the Fourth Hokage sealed the Nine-tails in my belly. I remember the crying, the screaming, the symbols seared onto my skin.
Now it is worse. I can feel my head splitting apart, as if she stabbed me over and over again with the hottest blade. I want to double over and retch but I cannot stop. The pain is unbearable, scratching and slashing from my insides, burning me alive.
When will all this end?
I just want to smash my fists into a tree, to feel the throbbing ache in my hands, to see blood streaming onto my clothes. I feel that familiar anger again, that rage rising in my chest, in my throat, choking up my vessels, flowing from every pore, seeping into my skin. I cannot control myself any longer.
I need to run.
You're a coward, Naruto, its familiar voice sneaks from my mind, sneaks from underneath the barriers I erected around myself and lurks at the edge of my mind. You will always be a failure, it laughs mockingly, its sneer piercing through my conscience.
The memories have unhooked themselves, replaying repeatedly in my head, mockingly scorning me. I want to kill him. I want to shake her, ask her, cry at her, scream at her. I want to do a million things yet I can't find the heart to do them. The violence and anger rises in me again, and I feel my control slipping, out of my fingers, slipping to the taunting beast that rests uneasily inside me.
I hear his voice again.
"Naruto! Stop! Naruto!" I don't stop. Something has awakened inside of me, propelling me forward, driving me. I don't want to hear, don't want to see, don't want to look at the face of someone whom I held in respect and then tore it all apart.
The roar of rain is thunderous and I vaguely see the fierce waves of water pound against stone barriers as I stumble across the wooden bridge and nearly fall. He catches up. A streak of thunder cuts the sky and lashes to the ground.
I can hear his every move. "Naruto!"
Before I can run again, he is faster. A barrier of water races up to meet me, threatening to crush me. Anger rises in my throat.
With lightning speed, I form the seal of the fire. Immediately giant licks of flame leap from my palms and slice straight towards the wall of water. I smell the tangy scent of saltwater as it falls closer. Then the flames burn with a vengeance, drying up the water so quickly it is a flash. I glimpse a silver of shock in his eyes and a grim pleasure comes over me.
I will never lose to you again.
I turn to run but a cold hand grips my leg. I look down and see a watery hand gripping me tightly. It is his spell. I have seen it used too many times on opponents too inferior and for a moment, rampant anger courses through my body that he looks down on me. Before I can react he has pounced on me, his lithe, agile body pinning me downwards.
The shock stuns me momentarily and I struggle to push him off. Raindrops streak our clothes and run into my eyes. My fist connects with his cheekbone and he grimaces in pain. Wildly I kick at his stomach.
"Get lost!" I scream. I can barely see his face.
"Just listen to what I have to say," he pants with the exertion of holding me down. He slaps me and his palm burns on my cheek. The beast rises in me again, simmering at the surface, bursting its way through. I struggle to control it but the chakra is too much, convulsing in my veins.
I imagine I can still feel Sakura's fingertips where they so lovingly grazed his skin and something snaps inside me.
With a wild yell, I push him off and he falls backwards, sliding on the slippery wet bridge. The monster in me awakens and I feel the red chakra flowing uncontrollably out of my body, out of my veins, racing towards Sasuke.
"There is nothing to say," I yell, tears mixing with rain, "nothing. Don't ever touch me again." The red chakra forms into claws and grabs him, holding him high in the air. A burst of red-hot anger sparks in me and the beast tightens its grip on Sasuke, its fingers strangling around his throat.
He chokes and struggles to breathe. I see the way his face loses colour. He is going to die. That notion flashes through my head and I scream. I see Sakura at his funeral, crying, her eyes full with tears, her slender body shaking with sobs. I see her hugging his limp, pale body, her tears dripping fragilely onto his motionless body. A searing pain races through my heart.
Then I see her turn to me, her eyes now pierced with hatred, her voice sharpened with icy contempt. I see the smouldering anger in her face, the revulsion in her words.
I see the rejection in her eyes.
My head is bursting, pounding. Blood thumps through my veins and the beast's grip loosens and lets go. Sasuke falls to the ground with a thump and inhales raggedly. His face is ashen and his eyes shocked, scared, full of fear.
You are a weakling after all, Naruto, it whispers to me. She loves him not you. How could anyone love a demon? You knew it didn't you?
No.
"I never want to see you again!" I scream as he struggles to reach me. I form the seal of invisibility and run away.
"Naruto!" he cannot see me.
I run away, my naked feet slapping coldly against slick, icy wood and stone. As I run into the fringe of the forest overlooking the Sky village, nettles and sorrels crush under my toes but I do not feel the pain. I shiver madly, my skin numbing at the cold, my teeth chattering. As I fall downwards, I am aware of pricks of pain shooting up my face and limbs.
Then the world goes black.
"What is going on?" Kakashi demanded wearily for the hundredth time that morning as Sakura bit her lip and averted her eyes from him.
The banging and noise outside the room had awakened him. When he found out that both Sasuke and Naruto were not in their beds, he had gone to look for Sakura.
And promptly walked into an awkward situation when he found her crying.
Outside the rain was still bucketing and the sky was a tight, misty net of grey. Sasuke was still nowhere to be found and Naruto had gone missing. Sakura had not said anything since he came into the room and Kakashi was getting slightly worried.
It was unlike two of his students to go missing together. Especially if they were a hothead blonde and a dark, cool Popsicle. He folded his arms across his chest and prayed they hadn't gotten into another fight.
The last time they had, Sasuke had ended up with broken ribs and gashes across his face while Naruto had to spend days in bed healing his fractured legs.
Kakashi glanced uneasily at Sakura. He had never seen her like that. Her long pink hair tangled messily across her shoulders, dark rings around her eyes. Sighing to himself, he admonished Naruto for making her so upset. He hated seeing his students tortured like that yet there was nothing he could do.
Love was blind after all. And in most cases, also deaf, mute, limp and had the beginnings of rheumatism. Kakashi swore he would somehow remain single.
Mutely, he considered passing her a tissue.
At that moment, the door burst open and a wet, wheezing Sasuke tumbled in, trailing water behind him.
"Sasuke!" Sakura cried and rushed to his side. Even when wet and bedraggled, Sasuke was a sight to behold, his dark locks pressed to his fair skin, his handsome features sharp and defined. His face was unnaturally pale and drawn, his clothes torn and soaked.
Kakashi noted the bruise on his cheek but did not say anything.
"Are you all right?" Sakura asked worriedly, her red, swollen eyes concerned. "What happened?" she cried when she saw the red tear marks on Sasuke's throat.
Kakashi watched quietly from the side as the girl helped up the drenched teenager, her anxious fingers hurriedly wiping water from his face, moving tenderly across his bruise and injuries.
"Where is Naruto?" his voice was calm and cold all of a sudden.
Their faces turned pasty white and Sakura bit back a gasp. Cold hands gripped Kakashi's heart and he wanted to shake the truth out of them. Thoughts of Naruto flashed through his mind and he struggled to keep calm.
"Tell me."
Sasuke gently held Sakura back and looked at his sensei, his dark, miserable eyes flinching and unable to fully meet Kakashi's direct gaze.
"Naruto is gone. And he won't be coming back."
TBC.