Shattered Pieces

Chapter 8 - Always There

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
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Sasuke's POV
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Ugh, I was such a fool. If he was watching, he'd definitely hurt Sakura now... I smacked myself, and leaned against a tree trunk. My hands were stuffed in my pockets, and I sighed. Why does he have my weakness? Damn it...

"Sasuke. Tomorrow is the day..." A voice hissed.

I closed my eyes, and didn't reply. I was sick of Orochimaru. I didn't actually like him, I just trained under him to get stronger. But this was the last straw, I needed to kill him. He was going to take over my body and do what he pleases, while I just watched from the sidelines, helpless.

"Sasuke, don't you think you should listen to your sensei?" He hissed.

I opened my eyes and stared into his eyes. They were so eerie looking at, but I didn't mind. Soon, those eyes would be closed for good.

"Hn."

Orochimaru grew angry with me, and I just smirked at him. I could feel his rage building up - exactly what he wanted.

"Sasuke, I can take your body now...and if you put up a fight, I'll just have to harm you again..."

I smirked at him again, and I felt his pent-up rage would soon explode on me.

"Hn."

To tell you the truth, I always said 'hn' to try and remain emotionless as possible, but when I use it against Sakura or Orochimaru, it was amusing to see them get so fired up. But I got so used to being an avenger, it was just a habit of using that word. It was a miracle if I would say anything else in my academy days...

"Fine, let us go Sasuke...say goodbye to your precious body..."

He began to walk towards me, and I smiled. Before he got there, I had set up some traps here and there. He triggered one, and a wave of kunai headed for him. He smiled at me with amusement in his voice.

"Do you think your weak defenses can defeat me?"

I smiled at him - but it wasn't the smile that Sakura loved. It was a smile full of evil pleasures.

"No."

Then I jumped up into a tree, and threw shuriken at him. He began to perform hand seals, but I had set some invisible strings there with chakra, and he got entangled in them, setting off yet another trap. Senbon, kunai, shuriken, anything shiny, metallic, and pointy was thrust at him as my traps began working. I found myself amused as he was losing his cool and getting hit at the most ridiculous times. So much for the great Sannin Orochimaru... I smirked, and performed handseals. In moments, I was blowing fireballs at my sensei, and snickered at how much I had grown stronger, and how much Orochimaru stupidly lingered around. I found Orochimaru weak now - he was injured, badly. I smiled, and sent another barrage of weapons to distract him. Then, I appeared behind him and smiled. He caught a senbon and shoved it in my stomach, and I winced with pain. But then, I regained myself, and pulled the senbon out of my body, and impaled it through his heart.

"Bye, sensei."

I felt his eyes widen in shock, and he growled. Then, he fell forward, dead. I smirked.

"Finally, now that you're out of the way..."

I began to walk away, my curse mark slowly disappearing, a weight seeming to be lifted off of my soul. It felt good. I had no clue where I was going, but I smirked at my legs moving nonetheless. I knew that even if I didn't want to go there, they would take me. After all, she said so herself.

"...Somehow, I just feel that destiny keeps bring us back together."

That was what she said, and now I believed it was true. My mind was always thinking of her, either always or whenever. But no matter what, she was always there, smiling.-----
Sakura's POV
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For some reason, when my eyes opened, it didn't seem so bad this time. I didn't feel as lonely, and somehow, I felt a weight lift from my soul. I couldn't understand why, because I had no revenge to fulfill. Well, maybe on Itachi and Orochimaru, for making me go through this pain...but I could never do that. That was Sasuke-kun's goal, not mine. I shrugged, and thought. Maybe it could be Sasuke-kun...maybe he did something... I thought, and just came to the conclusion that it would be that he either got rid of Orochimaru, or did something else accomplishing. I sighed, and I felt someone tug on my hair.

"O-ow! Be more gentle, will you? Agh!" I screamed.

The grip was deadly - it felt like my hair could be torn out any minute.

"I'm not one to be so gentle, Sakura."

I winced at his voice, and tried to keep myself calm.

"Yeah, I noticed," I hissed.

I heard laughter, and he just tugged harder.

"Have you been, perhaps, been feeling, lighter, in any sense?"

I was confused. How did he know? Did it have something to do with Sasuke-kun?

"Regardless. Some of Akatsuki's sources have found Orochimaru dead earlier today. Which means, that Sasuke-kun's curse mark should be gone. How is he going to get the strength now? Without the help of that crazy Orochimaru?" He asked.

"Uchiha Itachi, I told you before...don't...use me."

"We'll see. Heh."

Then, I felt him disappear, and the grip on hair loosened. I wished I could rub the pain off of my head, but that would eventually go away...but I knew I had a pain that dove deep within me...a heartache that couldn't just disappear everytime I thought of him.

Sasuke-kun...what happened?
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It seemed like eternity before I saw the light. The light was so blinding that even when I squinted I felt pain. My hands were stained with my blood from being tied up for so long - it almost seemed like the ropes became embedded within me. I was in horrible condition. I was barely given any food, and I was suffering from malnutrition. I knew it was all part of his plan.

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He appeared before me, with a face that reminded me of Sasuke-kun - emotionless, always frowning.

"He's coming...which means what has to be done to you, has to be done...now."

"Can I ask you a question first?" I asked.

It was a stupid time to ask for a question, but I needed an answer, now.

"Irritating..."

"Why do you want Sasuke-kun so badly? Do you want him to join Akatsuki? Or are you...waiting to kill him? Orders from one of Akatsuki's sources? Or what?"

He laughed, and his eyes were locked into mine.

"Oh no...He's my little brother, of course I'd love to see how he's improved...it's so amusing to have messed with his mind when he was so little...and so vulnerable."

"So basically...out of your character, do you actually want to kill him?"

"Heh, if he's strong enough...if he wants to kill me...who am I stop him? I might just accidentally kill him..."

He nodded, and smiled.

"And now, the work to be done..."

AAAAGGGGHHHHH!
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Sasuke's POV
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I heard a scream out in the mountains. It was where Sakura was, I just knew it. Her scream was so familiar, and it was so ear-piercing it made my blood boil. If he ever did anything to harm her...I don't know how much of my anger I'd be able to release. I hastened my pace as the early snow began to fall, and the serene mountains beginning to be showered in snow. I forgot that it was nearing winter, and that the cold was deadly, even this early into the season. I didn't like this feeling...something was wrong.
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Sakura's POV
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I awoke, leaning on a lone cherry blossom tree. It was odd for me, seeing this one still in bloom, even after the springtime. Its petals began to wither as they gently touched the snow-touched floor, and I smiled. It was so ironic...I felt like a cherry blossom, withering away, waiting for the warmth to return to my body. I inhaled the fresh air, and pain shot through my body. I felt wounds all over me, and I wanted to cry in pain, but I refrained. I looked at myself, and gasped. I was covered in gashes and bruises, and the cold air made me feel chilled. My clothes were torn here and there, and the remaining pieces were stained with blood. The ropes around me were gone, as I was too weak to even move. I twitched as pain continued to shoot through my body every time I inhaled and exhaled, but I refused to show weakness. Not here, not now - not when I know Sasuke-kun is coming. I looked up at the sky, and smiled. Did I really have to suffer this long? It's not like how long mattered, I would suffer all my life, every second of my life, for Sasuke-kun...even if it mean death for me. Yes, that's it...that's how my heart was shattered...when he left...and when I wasn't able to be able to live my life for him, when I wasn't able to SEE him...my heart throbbed and was torn...

"Sa-Sakura...?"

I snapped back to reality as I heard his voice. I smiled at him, and winced in pain.

"Hi...Sasuke-kun..."

I felt strong arms wrap around me and gently push me against a wiry shoulder, and I felt better. His warmth was enough for me.

"Who did this to you?" He asked, putting me in a position where our faces were inches away from each other.

He cupped my face in his hands and began to gently stroke my cheek with his thumbs. I smiled, and lifted my weak hands and held his. I looked up at him, and saw concern in his eyes, something I haven't seen before. I smiled, and began to grow used to my pain.

"N-no...m-ma-matter..."

He sighed, and looked at me.

"It matters, Sakura...who could have done this to you?"

"Obviously the one who held her here, little brother."

I noticed Sasuke-kun tense up, and he looked behind him and glared at his older sibling. It seemed like a glaring contest for moments on end, and I looked at Sasuke-kun. I felt his chakra levels slowly rise due to his pent-up rage building inside his body. I rested my head on the crook of his neck and wrapped my arms around his back.

"Go, Sasuke-kun...I'll be fine...it's what you wanted, right?" I whispered.

"B-But Sakura..." He said, returning the embrace.

"No, your accomplishments are more important...it's what you trained for, what you suffered for. Don't let me hold you back."

I pulled away, and looked at his face once more. He gently pecked my lips, and got up and faced his brother.

"How touching," Itachi smirked.

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Sasuke-kun...I will...suffer for you...I want to protect you.
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Alright! Sorry if it was abnormally long and it annoyed you...I tried to cram in as much as I could! Dx I started school so I can't update until the weekends, so please hang tight! Hope you liked it & thanks for reading! (: