Author's Note: My god, you are all going to kill me. I love a very large variety of music, but I did grow out of my boy band stage a long time ago—years ago, in fact. So the fact that I'm using a Backstreet Boys song instead of a rock song is very, well… questionable. Please, trust me on this one—it fits the point of the story, I promise.

Lips of an Angel

Incomplete


Empty spaces fill me up with holes
Distant faces with no place left to go
Without you within me I can't find no rest
Where I'm going is anybody's guess


Sasuke raced through the forest, his feet hitting branches for split seconds before bounding off them again. His body was aching with it's urge to travel faster, harder… he had to find her. It was obvious how deep the emotional impact of his mission was—the rest of Sasuke's team did nothing to slow him down.

Sakura's pink hair flashed in his eyes, memories of her waving him off as she left for the A-rank mission that led to this S-rank one. His fists clenched as he drove his body to move at a pace it wasn't meant for. He had lost her already once— he couldn't lose her completely. He didn't care what reputation he received for racing after the woman he truly loved when his wife was at home with their children. It didn't matter to him what Hikari heard, or how this would affect his family. All the mattered at that moment was the fact that the Hokage was relying on him to retrieve their teammate.

It was up to him to save the woman he really loved—the one who's heart he'd broken time and time again.


I've tried to go on like I never knew you
I'm awake but my world is half asleep
I pray for this heart to be unbroken
But without you all I'm going to be is incomplete


Sasuke hated to admit how much this hurt. He'd tried forgetting Sakura existed, and that he ever knew her. The emotions he felt for her were too strong— if he wouldn't recognize her in the day, then she surfaced in the night when he had no control. The current situation didn't help his resolve, either. His shattered heart was crumbling more when he realized how he had reacted to the news of Sakura's ambush.

Naruto hadn't taken the time to call his ANBU to the Hokage tower—he'd set out and found them on his own. When he knocked on Sasuke's door, Hikari was the one to respond with a smile and invite him in. It was unlike Naruto to refuse her offer, but he had demanded Sasuke come to the door. It hadn't taken long for him to appear, carrying his daughter and his son trailing at his feet. Hikari took the baby girl, and waited patiently to hear what Naruto's urgency was about.

What happened after that was blur; Sasuke remembered grabbing his weapon pouch by the door as soon as he heard 'Sakura's team was ambushed by Akatsuki'. He'd rushed out the door before Hikari had a chance to say a word, and faster than Naruto could tell him where to go. He'd been far beyond the gates of Konoha by the time the rest of the retrieval team caught up with him. After he'd discovered her approximated whereabouts, he was gone from view once again.

'I'm relying on you to make a good excuse for me, Naruto.' He thought, jumping from the treeline to the forest floor.


Voices tell me I should carry on
But I am swimming in an ocean all alone
Baby, my baby
It's written on your face
You still wonder if we made a big mistake

It was dark, but Sasuke had trained his Sharingan to see easier at night. It was no where near as good at sensing things as Byakugan, but it did enough to help him. The signs of battle were scattered throughout the surrounding area—bloodstains, pieces of clothing, littered shuriken and kunai, mangled bodies and torn up earth wrote the story of the unfolding fight. He tried to follow the footprints, but everything was jumbled and twisted, creating an almost tango-like atmosphere to the otherwise obvious warzone.

He spotted strands of lipstick hair littering the ground. Following the trail, he watched as it slowly developed from hair into shards of clothing, and from shards of clothing into a headband and blood. His body stiffened as the adrenaline rush increased; the images of Sakura's possible state flew through his mind, drawing in more reason to race through the forest.

Truth be told, he wasn't sent just to find Sakura. It was his mission to retrieve all four members of her team; but his heart didn't allow him to search out anyone but her. The blood trail grew larger, and the sinking feeling in his gut became heavier with each step he took.

A small movement to Sasuke's left caught his attention.


I've tried to go on like I never knew you
I'm awake but my world is half asleep
I pray for this heart to be unbroken
But without you all I'm going to be is incomplete

"Sakura…"

He watched the glow of her chakra trying to heal the deeper wounds in her stomach. Sakura's face was taut with determination and exhaustion. When the green color finally faded from her palm, she smiled at him lightly.

"Don't worry Sasuke-kun, I'm alright."

Without a second thought, he drew her toward him, hugging her tightly against his chest.


I don't mean to drag it on,
But I can't seem to let you go
I don't wanna make you face this world alone
I wanna let you go (alone)

They stayed in that position, neither one moving or saying a word. Sasuke's invitation of the embrace had shocked Sakura, but she welcomed it warmly. It was oddly romantic, she realized with some awkward humor. She had almost lost her life, and now the man she loved was expressing the fear and concern she'd always wanted him to.

"Sasuke-kun…"

"I don't care about Hikari or Sai or anything right now!" Sasuke grumbled, refusing to relinquish his grip on her. "Don't even mention them! You're the only thing that matters right now!"

Sakura's voice quieted, sensing the desperation in Sasuke's posture and voice. She had missed him— after they'd decided to stop talking in an attempt to sort out the emotions between them an toward their respective significant others, they'd been avoiding one another like the plague. Obviously that had only served to bring them to a more intimate point.

Sasuke's lips moved against her ear, whispering lightly. She smiled lightly at his words, engraving them into her heart. What he said would never escape her lips, but she would remember long after their moment alone was over.


I've tried to go on like I never knew you
I'm awake but my world is half asleep
I pray for this heart to be unbroken
But without you all I'm going to be is incomplete

Incomplete


Author's Notes: Yup, that's the end. Sorry, I know it sucks! Remember to read and review.

Love and hugs—

Crystal Renee