Sakura and the Prince
of Flowers
By Miss Angel Maxwell
Free Talk: This chapter came out really easily, which I'm not sure if it is a good thing or a bad thing. In any case, it is the reaction to the revelations from last chapter. There is a bit of Q & A… meant to answer questions and tie up loose ends. I hope it came out okay. Also, I think it is a bit interesting (to me, at least) that this story has really become more romance oriented than I originally planned. It was originally going to be somewhat neutral, but it seems to have a mind of its own and has decided to become SasuSaku. That's just fine by me. It's a pairing I really like. I am quite flexible, but generally speaking SasuSaku, NaruHina, LeeTen, and ShikaTema are my favorite couples in Naruto. Next time around we'll check back in on Sakura and the Sand Sibs… she's probably getting pretty big by now. And please pardon my excessive use of ellipses (…). For some reason I write dialogue like that. As always, thank you for the support. Please comment and tell me what you think!
Chapter 16: "You Were a Lot Nicer In My Dream"
"The Prince of Flowers was… You?"
Sasuke and Naruto had both uttered the same accusing sentence, but were now left in a state of shocked silence, each staring slack-jawed at the other, still shaken to the core by the horrifyingly real vision they'd just experienced. They both seemed to understand, however, that there was nothing that either of them could say to begin talking about Rock Shin's remarkable genjutsu. Therefore, it came upon the old man himself to open up the lines of conversation.
"Indeed, indeed," he drawled curiously. "So I take it that the memories of your past encounter had already begun to seep back in, eh? Even before I showed you what happened?"
"Yeah," Sasuke replied breathlessly. "The dream I told you about… That weird little boy I mentioned… It… it was Naruto all along."
"And I had a dream a while back, too," Naruto added. "And there was a strange kid in my dream, as well. I actually sorta suspected that it was Sasuke already but…" He paused and then continued a bit more thoughtfully. "It wasn't exactly like what we just saw. Sasuke, he was a lot nicer in my dream, didn't bother me about stomping the flowers or anything… I think he even hugged me."
"Hmm," Sasuke pondered. "That's interesting, because you were a lot nicer in my dream than in the vision, too. Mr. Rock, why do you think that is? I mean, which interpretation is accurate?"
Rock Shin chuckled. "That's an excellent question, young Mister Uchiha. You see, the subconscious mind tends to put a rosy spin on not-so-pleasant thoughts. Certainly, your friend being attacked by a monster was a gruesome ordeal, so your subconscious tried to compensate by making the other details more positive. The truth of that day, however, was just what I have shown you. This jutsu digs much deeper into the mind and heart than any dream could."
The two teenagers' bodies, which they had been holding tight and rigid since they awoke, finally relaxed once more. Sasuke dragged a hand across his forehead, which was sweaty from the fire, and raked his fingers through his black bangs.
"That definitely is what happened thirteen years ago," he marveled. "When I was watching it, watching my childhood self, I could feel the memories coming back. Not just what happened, but what I was thinking and feeling… how scared I was…"
"It was so surreal," Naruto remarked. "How did you ever learn a jutsu like that, Gray Brows?"
"That's an interesting nickname," Shin Replied. "Ah, but I have spent my years studying ancient texts to learn such jutsu. What I have come to believe, though, is that such jutsu are only as useful as the secrets they reveal. So now I must ask you, has this journey been an enlightening one, my friends?"
"Yes, very much so!" Naruto answered enthusiastically. "It answered so many questions about the dreams and about the monsters. It even explained why Fuzz… why your grandson was so obsessed with protecting Sakura for no apparent reason. He must have written it down on that piece of paper!"
While Naruto had suddenly become very excited, Sasuke had retreated into quiet meditation, eyes closed, in typical Sasuke fashion. "To be honest," he finally began to speak. "As illuminating as this trip to the past was, it seems to have provided more questions than answers. Like, I remember writing down my nindo on a scrap of parchment, but I don't think I ever came across it again…"
"But things do get lost," Shin explained. "Especially in the hands of one so young."
"Well, how come I've never stumbled across that meadow of flowers again?" Sasuke asked. "It seems very odd that such a vast and beautiful place could exist around Konoha without anybody knowing about it."
"Yeah, that is strange," Naruto agreed before releasing a long pent up yawn.
The old man's black beetle-like eyes twinkled again beneath his massive gray eyebrows, indicating that he had another tidbit of wisdom to share. "It is quite easy to never find something that you aren't looking for. Indeed, though, you boys do still seem a bit sleepy. Let me just fetch you something invigorating to wake you up."
As soon as the little old man waddled across the room to fetch the drinks, the young men were silent again, a heavy awkward feeling between them once more, each unsure of what the other was really thinking. They were lost in their own thoughts, oblivious to the fact that it was now dark outside and the snowfall had become even thicker. Naruto really was still drowsy, but his uncharacteristic quietness was for a different reason. As he sat, slumped on the floor of Lee's grandfather's tiny mountain cabin, his brain began to relive that one scene from the long ago day: himself paralyzed with fear while Sasuke went to protect Sakura. As the thought churned over and over in the blonde's head, he could feel white-hot shame bubbling up inside of him, and he didn't want Sasuke to see it.
Sasuke's mind, meanwhile, was now focused on a different day: the day that Rock Lee killed one of the Children of the Kyuubi, magnificently and grotesquely, right before his and Naruto's eyes. Something wasn't adding up in the Uchiha's astute mind, but he waited until old Shin tottered back in with two corked glass bottles in his hands before bringing it up.
"Mr. Rock," Sasuke began, as the old man handed him a cold blue bottle. "Is there some way that the members of your family can sense the presence of one of the Children being near by? Because when Lee fought this thing…" Sasuke had to stop for a moment and remind himself to be gentle with the details of Lee's death. " He just showed up out of nowhere. Naruto and I were the only ones who had been told anything about the monster, yet Lee seemed to know exactly where to find it. And he knew that it was looking for Sakura."
"There is a certain sixth sense we Rocks have," Shin answered with a cluck of his tongue. "But it is something that must be honed and developed over the years. Lee never had such training, so he probably did not have the sixth sense. Or if he did, he did not know what it was he was sensing. I'm afraid there are certain things that I kept from my grandson for many years… You see, when I sealed his memories of that day, I also sealed away everything he'd ever learned about the Children of the Kyuubi. It was selfish of me, really. If there were any of those damnable creatures left, I didn't want Lee to just throw his life away on them. I didn't want to lose my only grandson the same way I lost my only son. Ah… but in the end it made no difference…"
With a heavy sigh, the old man collapsed into his squashy little chair, sending a fine cloud of dust into the air around him. His two guests could feel the sadness and loneliness in his voice and body language, and for the first time they realized just how pitiful his life must be. Sasuke took a deep swig of beverage before he made any sort of response. It was somewhat sweet, very fizzy, and very cold, and it made tiny tingles of sensation swim over his skin. No wonder Naruto was almost finished with his.
"You say they marked Sakura as their prey," the Uchiha said. "Is it a physical mark? Could Lee have seen it on her and remembered what had been sealed?"
Shin tweaked his little goat beard thoughtfully. "Indeed, the scar left by the monster was sealed, but it will become visible when the Children are near. And, indeed, seeing such a mark is exactly the sort of thing that might trigger a spontaneous memory recovery… But I do not think it is a likely scenario."
"Why not?" Sasuke replied inquiringly.
"Because the scar is very low on Sakura's back," said the old man. "It's very unlikely that Lee would have been able to see it while Sakura had clothes on… he would probably have had to see her naked…"
A hideous choking sound immediately stole Shin and Sasuke's attention as Naruto gagged and sputtered on his last mouthful of drink, spraying droplets of it from his mouth and nose. Shin looked a bit alarmed and confused, but Sasuke just glared at his fox-eyed friend reproachfully.
"Sorry," Naruto croaked, regaining his composure. "It just… uh… went down the wrong tube. I'm fine now."
"It doesn't really matter how he knew," Sasuke said seriously, trying to draw attention away from his friend. "There is only one thing that matters to me now, and that is protecting Sakura. The seal may protect her while she's within Konoha and when she 's with the two of us but…" His voice was growing more passionate. "I don't want there to be any limitations on where Sakura can go or who she has to stay near in order to be safe. Rock Shin, you know everything about the Children of the Kyuubi. You must know some way that she can be freed from the Children, from the scar that marks her as their prey. There has to be a permanent cure because… because Sakura deserves to be free. Even if there are no more of these monsters in existence, I have to know that she is no longer marked for death."
Rock Shin shook his head sadly.
"Is there really no possible way?" Sasuke asked desperately.
"There is a way," the old man answered softly. "But… it is… impossible. The only way to remove the mark of the Children… is for the marked one to kill one of them."
"But Sakura can't do that!" Naruto stammered. "Only members of the Rock family can kill them… And it costs them their lives!"
Shin responded calmly to the young man's stating the obvious. "Indeed. That is why I said it is impossible."
Sasuke laced all ten fingers though his bangs, holding his forehead in his hands. Outside he remained cool and collected as usual, but his insides were trembling with raw anger. A low growl was developing deep in his chest, and by the time it came out of his throat, it was a roar. "This entire journey was just a waste of time then! Yeah, it was a fascinating genjutsu, but what was it all for? There's nothing we can do to free Sakura or to fight these… these ridiculous monsters! It was all just pointless!"
"That's not true, Sasuke," Naruto said forcefully, rising to his feet as he spoke. "Finding out what happened thirteen years ago makes all the difference in the world! Now we can tell Sakura once and for all that she wasn't the cause of Lee's death! Now we can go find her and bring her back to Konoha where she belongs! Where she'll be safe!"
"We already knew she wasn't at fault before we came here, idiot!" Sasuke yelled back, standing up as well. "And all this time we spent coming out here, we should have been out looking for her!"
"Now wait a minute!" Naruto barked. "That's what I said we should have done in the first place! So don't yell at me!"
Realizing his hypocrisy, Sasuke let his raised shoulders drop slightly. Feeling frustrated tears beginning to bud in the corners of his eyes, his closed them tightly, but the tears managed to leak through. "I… I'm sorry, Naruto. I actually never thought you would abandon your plan to find her and follow me instead. And I did want to come here and meet Lee's grandfather… But the truth is, I was really running away, trying to stay out of your way so you could find Sakura without me."
"Why?" breathed a shocked Naruto.
"Because we both know…" Sasuke choked. "That you're the one who's always been there for her. For years I was so obsessed with getting revenge on Itachi that I neglected Sakura. I ignored her feelings and didn't give her my support when she needed it. I was not the man I should have been."
Naruto scrunched up his nose in annoyance. "Is that what's bugging you? You thought that because you gave Sakura the cold shoulder when we were twelve, you should just shrink from her life? Look, you know how much I love Sakura… But it's not the way you love her." Naruto could feel his chest growing tighter as he spoke. This was one of the hardest speeches he'd ever had to give, and he was a little scared that he might start to cry just like Sasuke. "You got a little sidetracked with the revenge thing, Sasuke, but I know your heart has always been with her. What we both witnessed today is proof of that. Even when we were all just toddlers, you risked your life to protect her… while I just stood on the sidelines…"
"But…" the Uchiha began.
"No buts! The way you talk… I know you'd still do anything to help Sakura, to make her happy and keep her safe… But you have to get over this stupid inferiority complex! Sasuke, can't you see that you're the one for her?"
A pair of black eyes and a pair of blue eyes stared at each other silently. Sasuke couldn't believe what his friend had just said. Did Naruto really believe that he was meant to be with Sakura? Was this his way of saying 'go after her, I won't get in your way?' Sasuke couldn't help but wonder what had changed his best friend's attitude.
"Naruto," he said gently. "I think… We should go and find Sakura together. The three of us are a team and… we're not complete without her. Does that sound like a plan?" He extended his hand cautiously to Naruto who grabbed and shook once, firmly.
"That's our plan," he replied.
"Bravo! Bravo!" a squeaky little voice interrupted the moment, accompanied by boisterous applause. The two young men had apparently been so rapt in their own world of thoughts, that they temporarily forgot about the old man whose house they were staying in. "It's so wonderful to see the bonds of love and friendship so alive in you young people! Go and find your teammate, young men! Reunite with the girl you made a seal with so long ago! And if there is anything else I can do to aid you in your journey, do not hesitate to ask!"
The two boys blinked several times, a bit taken aback by the old one's Lee-like enthusiasm.
"Well," Naruto began. "We could use some warmer clothes. And we don't really know our way around here. To be honest, I'm not really sure where we are. Hey, would you like to come with us? As our guide?"
"Naruto," Sasuke muttered, elbowing his friend in the ribs. "He's a very old man. We wouldn't want to put his health at risk. Besides, he's already done so much for us."
"Oh no," Shin responded with a nod. "My health is just fine. I have always had the vigor of youth. But I'm afraid there is nothing left for me out there. You two were the first visitors to come and see me out here, and I truly have enjoyed your company… But my life is right here. My family is all dead now, and I'm prepared to live out my remaining days right where I am… The last member of the Rock family."
Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other, exchanging a how-did-we-not-tell-him sort of expression. Perhaps it was because it was still a touchy subject with them. But it had to be said now.
"Sir," Sasuke said. "You're not the last member of the Rock family. I forgot to tell you this earlier… But you're going to be a great-grandfather. Sakura actually… she's pregnant. And the baby is your great-grandchild."
The old man seemed surprised for only a moment then he began shaking his head. "Shameful grandson of mine, recklessly engaging in the sacred act reserved for marriage. It's just shameful. Well, I am sure there is some logical explanation as to how such a thing happened. But there will be plenty of time to talk about that during the long journey ahead of us."
"Does this mean you're coming with us?" Naruto asked hopefully.
Shin nodded, his eyes twinkling slightly. "It couldn't hurt to meet this little bud on the Rock family tree. Indeed, we'll leave at tomorrow's first light. Won't be easy, though. The heavy snow of winter is just setting in now. This journey will take some time."
"I don't care," Sasuke replied. "I'll go to Hell and back to see Sakura again. There's really just one problem… We have no idea where Sakura is."
The room was silent once again. Then, after several minutes of head scratching, something miraculously connected in Naruto's head. "I know where Sakura is!" he declared exultantly. "Why didn't I figure it out before? The stuff I died my hair with to escape from the orphanage, it smelled like black licorice! I knew I'd smelled it before, but I couldn't remember where until just now! The maid in the Kazekage's office! It was Sakura, I know it! Sakura is in Suna!"
To be continued…