Petals: The Prequel to Eternity
A Naruto based story by TikiTDO
Author's Notes:
So here I am, about to subject you to yet another load of excrement I have the gall to call a story. First of, this will be a Naruto/Sakura pairing, other Naruto based pairings are planned but not until later books if I get that far. If things go according to plan this will be a pretty long work, things rarely go as I planned though, so we shall see.
Please note that I will use and abuse my creative license. In other words characters will be incredibly OOC. Further, I will make use of an original world, possessing its own history, culture and secrets. Unfortunately as this is a world of my own creation sometimes I may forget to explain something that I find obvious. If I confuse you please ask me to clarify.
In order to ease the transition for anyone foolish enough to read I will take the time to explain little pieces of history or culture in the author's notes below each chapter.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Several people have complained about the way I handled the Sasuke affair. Please realize, though he is central to the manga, in my story he is nothing but a very minor support character until book 3. That said, I do have a side-story planned for the events of the actual rescue mission. Unfortunately this would contain faaar too many spoilers to start off this story, therefore it could fit either at the end of book 1, or (far more likely) near the beginning of book 3. Until then you'll have to be satisfied with a summary sentence.
Chronology:
Time will behave strangely in this story, especially in later volume and in the following books. To set this up, the story is followed up to around Naruto Part 2 (Chapter 245) in the Manga. The current arc (Death of Gaara) is glossed over as it's not particularly important to the story. The Akatsuki are not as big of a threat as they are in the Manga so they too will be ignored.
Book 1 – Prequel to Eternity
Volume 1 – Of Humble Beginnings
Chapter 1 – Dancing
It was a warm spring day in Konoha, the cherry trees were blooming and the streets were filled with good cheer. There was good reason for these emotions on this day. The Chuunin exam was coming up and soon the people would be in the gigantic arena cheering for the best and brightest Genin of the generation as they showed the power of their own nations.
This would be an unusually interesting exam too. The fallen and restored Uchiha prodigy against the demonically enhanced Uzumaki was sure to be the hottest battle anyone had ever seen. Already bets were flying left and right, most favoring the Uchiha.
It was strange how quickly the boy was able to win back the trust of the Village. One day half a year earlier he simply returned after having faced his brother. This time it was Sasuke who remained standing, laughing at his "foolish older brother" as said brother turned tail and ran. He had been arrested and after a few weeks put on probation as a citizen of Konoha and then an independent Genin.
At the same time no one was certain what had happened to Orochimaru. When asked Sasuke would clam up and change the topic. Tsunade seemed to know, but was obviously under the impression that the information was good where it was at the moment unknown to all but her most trusted advisors. Naruto too seemed to know more the he let on, but for once the boy remained quiet.
Regardless of past history, Sasuke was back and he was the topic on everyone's mind, not to mention lips.
With his return Sakura had resumed her pursuit of her favorite crush, but these days her heart was not as into it as in the past. It had surprised everyone when Sasuke had accepted one of her cautious requests for a date four months after he returned. They had gone out to dinner and even seen a movie. Some expected the pair to hit it off quickly after this, and for a while it seemed like they would when a second date was quick in coming. Things slowed down after that and any mention of a third date had yet to be heard.
With Naruto the transition was not nearly as smooth. The two boys had spent many of the first few months together, trying to understand what it was that happened between them. Almost daily they fought, often to the point that both of them had to be carried to the hospital to be dressed down by Tsunade.
As time passed the two began to work through their differences. Their visits to the hospital had decreased, though their sparring remained just as fierce. Slowly the two reached a point of equilibrium. They weren't exactly enemies but still not quite friends.
So we are back on this spring day. The final round of the Chunnin exam would be in less then a week, but on this day the old team 7 was gathered in a street side café on the outskirts of Konoha to discuss the upcoming fights.
"Raaamen,..." rang out Naruto's pitiful plea. "I still say we should go to Ichiraku's I bet the food here is gonna be horrible."
This caught the attention of the café chef, who launched Naruto a withering glare before returning to his work. Fortunately this wasn't one ofthe cold looks Naruto had grown accustomedto when he was much younger. Those had become less and less frequent these days.
"Oh please Naruto," said Sakura, already starting to feel slightly exasperated at the blonde's actions. "You can live for a day without your Ramen."
This earned her a pout from Naruto and a somewhat amused 'hn' from Sasuke.
Kakashi having watched the exchange finally decided to jump in. "Well guys, I have to say I'm proud of you. The way things are going you two," he said pointing to Naruto and Sasuke, "should be ready for Jounin duties within the year."
He paused for a moment looking at them, "Unfortunatelyyou both still have yet to fix your greatest flaw."
This got their attention better then a kunai to the face.
"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, flaw? What's our flaw?" Naruto yelled, nearly jumping out of his chair at the suggestion.
"Leadership... Dobe." Sasuke was quick to answer.
Sakura giggled at the sour look Naruto sent Sasuke before she caught herself and looked down with a faint blush, now on the receiving end of the same from Naruto.
Kakashi took this moment to speak again, "With the two of you running around doing your... Let's say extracurricular activities." The name Orochimaru could practically be seen hanging in the air, "You two have missed out on one of the main lessons of being a Genin, something Sakura has definitely picked up on. Now you are almost certainly going to pass the upcoming exam, but from then on you will have to be careful. All the material you've missed will definitely come back to haunt you."
"There's nothing hard about leadership," laughed Naruto. "All you do is come up with a plan and make it work. That's not so different from what I always do anyway."
"Naruto, you always jump into the middle and start hitting!" yelled Sakura, remembering some of their recent and not so recent missions. "That could get you killed!"
In response Naruto got a strange sparkle in his eyes, lasting not even a moment, "But that's what makes it so fun."
His trademark grin in place he spared Sakura a wink. In response she huffed and looked away.
"Fun, yes, but always remember, when you're out in the field the lives of your team hang in the balance," Kakashi looked solemn for and instant, probably remembering an older battle. "And that is what matters the most."
As he finished speaking their food arrived and the quartet settled down to eat.
So they stayed for most of the afternoon, firing off advice and preparing the two boys for their upcoming exam. Finally Kakashi left citing a briefing for an upcoming mission. This was his way of saying he was tired of their chatter and wanted porn. Sakura too parted after a glance at the clock, muttering something about unorthodox teaching techniques and slugs.
Left alone, Naruto looked over at Sasuke who also appearedready to leave, "Hey, Sasuke!"
The other boy gave him what passed for an inquisitive look.
Naruto took this as interest, "Look, I just wanted to talk to you about the exam. You know we're both super strong and I think Kakashi's got a point. We both like to jump into the middle of a battle and go nuts. So I was thinking of a little challenge for the exam." His grin spread across his face. "How about a handicap?"
That caught Sasuke's attention, "Handicap? Yeah, I'm in. You can even give yourself a lesser one." This was a new thing from Sasuke since his return he could even crack a joke, albeit a bad one, occasionally.
"Well, how's this," said Naruto, "No Sharingan. No Kyuubi. No Rasengan. No Chidori. In fact no ninjutsu techniques at all. We'll beat the entire exam Lee style, Taijutsu only, the entire time. We'll show those two that we can limit ourselves when we really have to!"
Sasuke looked intrigued. True he knew Naruto had improved, probably beyond even Lee's skill, but without using his Sharingan in battle he had already copied the styles of many Taijutsu masters. With Naruto's skill the boy could only hope for second place, and that was not like the blond Sasuke had grown to know.
Unless Naruto had something he was saving for this fight. Something... Dare he say... New?
The sparkle in Naruto's eyes increased as he watched a grin grow on Sasuke face.
"Deal."
And so fate is sealed.
The day of the exam had come at last. Only six candidates participate this time; four from Leaf, one from Rain and one from Sand.
The day began slowly for the crowd. A rookie Genin of the Sand fought a second year opponent from the Leaf. The skirmishreminded a select few of another battle some four years earlier. The Sand nin began by disappearing underground. The Leaf nin not to be outdone demonstrated some creativity in the form of an unorthodox technique involving monofilament fiber to create a virtual spider web above the floor of the arena.
While the Leaf Genin was busy in the air, the Sand had come above to witness his technique and plan an attack. These preparations lasted for several minutes, when the pair began their attack. The execution was flawless on both sides a three pronged attack on the web cost the Sand nin a sizable gash on his arm, and the destruction of the Leaf's web. With such handicaps the two maneuvered each other around the arena, each showing incredible foresight of traps, such as a spike kit placed in the way of the Leaf nin's escape path, or the web trap dropped within the trees where the Sand nin thought it safe to burrow.
This continuedfor half an hour, plan upon counter, trap for trap. In the end they proved to be less the Shikamaru in his infamous battle, each falling for their own traps, both fatigued beyond what they were used to. The battle was tied and neither would continue on to the second round.
Sasuke was next, andfaced off against another Genin of the Leaf, a girl with a specialty of Genjutsu, something Sasuke cursed due to his promised handicap. The girl was trembling when the hand was dropped, preparing for the horrible attacks her mother had warned her of. When instead Sasuke charged at her in a tightly wound stance she nearly panicked, but gathered her wits quickly enough to throw up a rough illusion removing Sasuke's sense of vision and hearing.
Up in the stands Sakura and Ino watched intently, "What's wrong with Sasuke?" asked Ino frantically. "He should be wiping the floor with that hussy already."
In response Sakura merely shrugged, her attention riveted on the events below.
At the same time in the waiting area Naruto smirked as his teammate was battling through the darkness. "Come on teme! I thought you were Genjutsu specialists! What'll happen to the great Uchiha name now?"
Still deaf Sasuke flipped a bird towards the waiting area. He knew the other boy far too well. The appearance of the grin that he knew must have now donned the face of Kyuubi'svessel served to further infuriate him, and at last snapped him out of the illusion.
This came not a second too late as his opponent was almost upon him, ready to lay into him with every bit of strength she could muster. Unfortunately for her an Uchiha with full control of his facilities, (Funny, I know) had little trouble blocking the charge and even less trouble sending her into a slumber with a few well placed attacks.
Most knew the girl would not pass. There was simply too much left for her to learn, though she would certainly remember her near win against the Uchiha for years to come.
Naruto's fight against the Rain nin was the quickest of the lot. The Rain Genin had used the mizu bunshin technique to create a troop of water clones. Against the self-proclaimed master of kage bunshin such an attack was akin to using a campfire to stop the rain. Even without the aid of his clones Naruto decimated his opponent in just under two minutes, his own strategies with the clones giving him all the edge he needed to stay five steps ahead of any of the Rain nin's plans.
The final battle of the exam had come. Both Naruto and Sasuke were tense as they walked out onto the field. Any second they expected something to blow up or some new enemy to appear. They had each suffered a similar interruption to their battles and woe be it for anyone who dared to trick Konoha again.
Fortunately evil had called in sick for the day and the test administrator looked at the two focused boys then at his already dropped hand before shuffling uncomfortably and looking up to the Hokage.
Tsunade sighed, knowing what the two idiots were thinking about. She raised her voice, joined by not only her apprentice but all of the boys' old teachers and friends.
"FIGHT YOU IDIOTS!"
The two jumped at the sound before taking the hint and laying into each other.
"What is that?" wondered Sakura as she looked upon the battle. Sasuke was fighting just like she had grown used to seeing. A quick punch here, a kick there. Naruto on the other hand was doing something she had never seen. He seemed to be dancing.
Sasuke's thrust and follow up chop were both avoided by leaning back before falling into a backwards roll to avoid his thrown kunai. Sasuke grunted as he charged intent on a pressure point on his opponent's back. Naruto surprised him by slamming his arm into the ground, redirecting the momentum from his roll into a sideways flight. In the next instant he grabbed a kunai from the air. One of his own Sasuke realized, remembering a strange foot movement he had seen from Naruto when he entered the roll.
Sasuke intercepted the kunai and one of Naruto's with another of his own and the battle continued.
Up in the stands Sakura watchedfascinated. Since the battle started Naruto had not stopped, always twisting and turning. He seemed to almost flow in contrast to Sasuke's sharp and efficient movements. Even on the defense he would continue his dance.
Starting to feel the tingle of sweat on his face Sasuke jumped away from his opponent. This style suited Naruto, he realized, always moving, never letting your opponent get used to your moves. Even now with the two broken apart he moved, turning once, twice... Something was amiss with his movements Sasuke realized in the next instant he was blocking a crane kick from behind him by sheer instinct, as Naruto moved with speed he had never shown before.
A punch and a kick were blocked by Naruto who spun to catch the next punch in an attempt to throw Sasuke off balance. Sasuke rolled with the throw, trying to add in a kick which too was blocked by yet another spin. Though the style suited Naruto it definitely wasted more energy thanSasuke's more conservative form. In the years past he would have copied the technique with his Sharingan eye even with the promise between them. These days his word meant more to him and he refrained, respecting the secret Naruto obviously wanted to keep.
"Handicap dobe? You just wanted to show off like usual," grunted Sasuke as Naruto closed for another attack. His response was a small smile, so unlike Naruto's usual grins.
The dance, Sakura began to realize was incomplete, as if a parthad been ripped away. Even though every movement was smooth and careful, one half was still missing.Every blow that Sasuke had landed in the battle should have been blocked. At that particular moment Naruto began another spin, one that Sasuke took full advantage of, having jumped back a second earlier.
Out of curiosity she wondered what the dance would have looked like with another person dancing much like Naruto was now.
With a start she realized that was the missing piece, the feeling she had seen at the beginningof the battle and continued to see to this moment.
Sasuke's fist connected with Naruto's shoulder, the follow up catching him at the junction of the neck. The demon container flew through the air like a doll, his consciousness already fading.
Loneliness. Naruto had often been alone when he was young. This should have changed when she became his teammate. He had her, Sasuke, Kakashi and so much of the village. But here he seemed so alone.
Naruto hit the ground hardrolling a few times before coming to a stop face up, much like a position he had Neji in some four years ago.
Sadness. She knew Naruto to always be cheerful, even in the face of great adversity. What she just saw was nothing like that smiling expression.
Sasuke approached the body, limping from an earlier hit, one eye already starting to swell shut.
"Loss," Sakura whispered to no one in particular. To her left Ino finally noticed that her friend had not been cheering either of the two for the entire battle.
"What was that?" Ino wondered.
"He lost something... Precious," Sakura said, not even realizing Ino was speaking. "Something he can never get back."
Down in the arena the two boys looked each other in the eye. "Good fight," whispered Narutohis normal grin finally returning to his face, "Next time I'll beat you down."
"Yeah," replied Sasuke, "In your dreams."
Naruto closed his eyes and said no more.
"Winner. Uchiha Sasuke," Hearing those words Sasuke too allowed himself to join his friend in the land of slumber.
The fight had lasted over and hour.
"..otta be one of those arts," she caught Jiraya's voice as he exited the door.
When Sakura had come to speak to her master she was denied entry, the guards claiming that the Hokage had made it quite clear she was not to be disturbed. She was meeting with the other Sannin, and Sakura had a good idea about what.
Now Jiraya had left Tsunade's office and something obviously weighing down on his (Now, Jiraya left Tsunade's office with something obviously weighing…)mind. They had been in a meeting for two hours following the Chunnin exam.
"Jiraya-sama," she yelled to get his attention.
"Sakura," he acknowledged her, his mind elsewhere. "How can I help you?"
Pausing for the moment she thought of what she could ask. That dance was not, after allsomething she had ever seen. "Did you teach Naruto that style?" she decided to be quite blunt.
He chuckled, "That style... Here's the interesting thing about it,..." he paused for effect, "This is the first time I've seen it."
Sakura blinked, confused. This was one of the legendary Sannin, a man who boasted nearly as many techniques as Orochimaru, yet he had never seen this style? Something was definitely wrong here.
"Where do you think he got it then?" she wasn't really expecting an answer.
"I think... It's something he's always known," was Jiraya's distant reply.
With that the conversation was over and he walked off. Sakura remained in front of the door to Tsunade's office, but the guards were quite adamant that the Hokage was still too busyFinally she decided to check with Gai about her suspicions. He was the greatest master of Taijutsu in Konoha.
She found him upon the training ground with Lee. As usual they were making use of the facilities as could be attested by the loud snap of Lee's knuckles against the wood.
"Gai-sensei!" Sakura called out, getting the pair's attention. Lee paused his workout to give her a wave before resuming. He had stopped his pursuit of her shortly after Sasuke's return, though he was still polite any time he saw her.
"What is it Sakura-san? Have you come to feed the flames of youth?" asked Gai with his usual energy.
Wrinkling her nose she shook her head, "Not quite. I wanted to talk to you about the exam."
"Oh, Naruto's kata got your attention too?" he asked.
"Too?" she caught the term.
Gai nodded, "Our great Hokage called me into her office asking if I knew about it. I've never seen those particular moves, but it's obvious to me that my outstandingstudent possessed Taijutsu far greater to that which Naruto showed us today. I'm sure Naruto worked very hard to come up with it but he should have come to me!"
Thanking Gai for his input she left, nocloser to figuring out the question on her mind.
Sakura's day had been spent running amongthe various Jounin asking about the technique they had witnessed this morning. She had found and asked Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma. Anko had been somewhat hard to approach, and she had nothing interesting to say. When she finally got the chance to speak with Tsunade she was further disappointed. Going outon a limb she had even asked Konohamaru, but he simply questioned what was so great about a style Sasuke beat, swearing that Naruto must have held back his secret ace.
Now twilight was quickly approaching and Sakura was ready to give up.
On her way home she passed Ichiraku's stand. Though not a fan of ramen most of the time, she had spent too much of the day running around to think about eating. Knowing Naruto frequently praised the place she entered.
She was absolutely unprepared to see Naruto himself enjoying a bowl, especially after the beating he had received. She had long ago learned of the Kyuubi and its incredible healing ability, but usually even with that the boy would be too sore to go out on the same day as such an intense fight.
"Sakura-chan!" he yelled noticing her head poking through the curtains. "Come have a bowl! My treat!"
At least he wasn't asking her on a date, as he would have done when they were younger.
"Sure," she smiled and sat down next to him.
"So... What brings you out today?" He wondered. "If it's my fight with Sasuke don't worry, I'll get him back soon!" When he was much younger such a loss would have left him unable to perform even the simplest task for many a day. Now he had already gotten over it and was thinking toward his next battle with his rival.
"It... Nothing," she wasn't sure why she didn't ask him about what she had seen earlier that day.
Naruto nodded just as the owner puta bowl in front of her and she began eating. They spent some minutes in silence until at last she found her voice again.
"Naruto... I wanted to know..." she began, "It's about the fight today."
He looked up from his third bowl with some curiosity.
"More specifically... your style," this caught his attention. He paused his eating to give her a long, appraising look.
"It's nothing special, just something I thought up watching Lee," he said. Sakura knew this to be a lie right off, and the look she sent towards her partner said as much.
"Naruto... That can't be true. I've never seen anything like that," she paused. "I've never seen you so sad."
Naruto laid down his chopsticks and regarded the girl evenly.
"That's an interesting observation," he noted, "not something anyone else has mentioned. What brought this up?"
Sakura realized she was on to something, "Lonely too," she noted. "You looked like you were missing something important Naruto, it was practically radiating from you."
Naruto took a moment to think. He reached into his pocket and pulled out enough change to cover the meals before standing up and heading towards the exit.
"Let me walk you home Sakura." It did not sound like a question.
Thanking the cook she stood up and followed to boy outside. They walked together, one deep in thought, the other watching him intently. Finally Naruto looked up his eyes showing a measure of confusion.
"You're right you know. About what I did," he said. "It's a mournful thing, but a form of release too."
The boy she normally saw was completely gone nowhis voice deep and serious and his mouth in a straight line.
"You weren't supposed to see that though," The statement sounded final. "No one was."
They continued on, she trying to understand what he meant while he looked lost in his own mind. Soon Sakura's house came into view she knew that unless she did something now her chance to discover what it all meant would be lost.
At last coming to a decision she blurted out, "Please Naruto. Teach me," this earned a quirked eyebrow from the boy, "Teach me to dance."
They stopped in front of her house. He turned to face her, looking directly into her eyes. In the dark they looked like a couple coming back from a nice date, especially as he leaned close to her, mouth at her ear.
"You don't know what you just asked, Sakura-chan," he whispered. "This isn't some training that Tsunade oba-chan might put you through. This is something that would change your life and the very way you see the world."
"So?" she said, "We're ninjas, why would we need to be so constant?"
He smiled darkly, "You don't know how constant everyone really is." His tone sounded far too old for someone of fifteen years. "It is better that you never learned."
She didn't back down. Whatever he wanted to scare her from was far too interesting to pass up.
At last he gave a small nod. "Fine, Sakura. I'll give you a chance. But before that you must know that this training will not be free," he sighed, "Everyone who learns to dance must pay a price. A heavy price indeed. When your time comes you'll have to part with something more important to you than perhaps life itself. Then you would not die. You would lose the right to die.Instead you would live in misery, and you would really know why I danced the way I did today."
With every word she felt heavier and heavier. Darkness closed upon her, and a numbing cold welled up inside her heart. Suddenly she saw herself stripped naked, kneeling in the blackness, tears falling from her eyes as she begged to take it all back, begged for mercy and forgiveness that she knew would never come. With each heave of her shoulders she felt a great power drawing closer and closer. In terror she looked up only to see the endless stars of the infinite skies, her miniscule pleas unheard in this uncaring infinity.
Suddenly she felt the warm spring breeze on her skin. Naruto was no longer leaning in close to her ear but standing in front of her, looking into her eyes, "That's my deal, take it or leave it. Should you ask again the price shall be yours to pay." He smirked, "You can answer when you're ready, Sakura-chan."
With that he turned and walked into the night.
Sakura remained standing still for a long time, shivering slightly even with the warm wind blowing against her skin. Whatever she had stumbled upon, it was bigger then she could have dared imagine. Reaching up to touch her face she noted wet tracks where her tears must have run.
She had much to think of tonight.
Shadris Corner:
This is where I will try to post little bits of information. Be it culture, history or simply interesting facts that help understand the story. Not everything will make it down here as I have some big plans to explain the Shadris race throughout the story. Things here will really be those tidbits that I could not/would not work into the plot for whatever reason I feel like. These descriptions assume a working knowledge of the Shadris, so reading them now would not explain much. It's my hope that when I finish this story they will make a lot more sense.
Soieh Dance – Thought to originally date back to the latter part of house Fane era, shortly prior to the Split. Due to such a long history it is not particularly clear who invented the dance or what purpose it originally served. It has remained mostly unchanged throughout the ages, only being slightly influenced during the divided ages by the various minor combat styles. More recently it had been the subject of numerous additions, mostly courtesy of Raien of the house An'Endrai and her introduction of the absolute assault style of combat.
The focus of the Soieh dance lies not within the skill of one, but in the ability of a pair to predict and respond to each other's actions. Originally composed or three levels of mastery it was far too difficult to learn with little benefit to return in comparison to other, similar styles. Four new levels of mastery, three below and one above, helped ease it into a far more popular position, now being far easier to learn and much more useful in combat situations. This level of enthusiasm helped secure it a branch focus in the absolute assault school, and the number of dance masters has grown substantially.
Unfortunately some risks exist in mastering the dance. As it is a paired style any who have chosen not to subject themselves to a bond-mate or greater stand to be quite hurt if their partner is killed. Without the protection of a bond, death in a dance pair could destabilize the remaining partner, making them useless for several ages.
As common with such arts, a strong emotional attachment will tend to rise within the partners. How this attachment is expressed is a matter of each individual case.
In the earlier stages the dance is said to be reminiscent of standard combat art, often allowing lower priestesses begin work on a advanced combat school without requiring special training arrangements.
Ch. 1 – Version 1.3
Proofread by sharingank, many thanks