A/N: Shweetness on a cake! Coolness on a stick! Awesome in a possum! Gracias para the reviews! So sorry about the long update! This chapter took a lot longer than i thought, and then there have been some unexpected events in my life..so fo sho...

Disclaimer: If I owned the Naruto series..wow I think I've run out of ideas for these ahaha. Hmm…I just don't own the Naruto series ok? It's probably not very likely that you all need to be reminded after the 30 chapters worth of disclaimers. Fo sho.

PLEASE READ BELOW/ LEA POR FAVOR ABAJO (DEBAJO DE)

WARNING: This is kinda like a time warpy thingymaggiger chapter..as in it's kinda going back in forth between something that's about to happen, what leads up to it, and all that stuff in between. So the scenes, the futuristic scenes aren't in order, just random little clips from the upcoming chapters. I hope it's not to confusing!

So this line below


Is basically the splitting factor…between the past and the future.

these little lines (dash marks) below

--

are just separating one scene from another. And then the little time things i.e. (51 Minutes prior) Are basically the countdown to the future events, to when the whole "Destruction of Konoha" Starts. To when Sakura finally arrived in Konoha. And to when everything, the scenes and stuff are back to my normal format, the works. The BOOM BOOM, i call it.

Other than that..everything is pretty self explanatory.In upcoming chapters you'll understand the future clips taking place, it'll be regular chapters, including all those clips in there and how things lead up to them,all that good stuff.Yea sorry bout this! Just wanted to try something new! Hope it doesn't totally blow.

Rawr.

Please Enjoy!

Behind The Smile

Chapter 31: Catalysts

--

--

--

She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

--

"Sakura!"

--

For that brief moment, neither were focused on the destruction and sounds around them.

"Sasuke..teme.." This name rumbled from his throat. It wasn't spoken in awe, surprise, it was almost a sort of anger that spoke for him, his tone shakey.

--

"Sakura!"

--

Bodies. Everywhere.

--

It could be heard from miles away.

The screaming. The clashing of weapons.

The smell was overwhelming as well.

The burning. The sweat. The blood.

--

"Kuso!"

--

A random group of ninjas clashed with another group, their battle cries loud and rageful.

--

The destruction.

--

The roaring of the flames.

--

"Big..forehead.."The mumble from her rivaled friend was enough to spark a wind of motivation through her exhausted, beaten up body. The flames all around flickered in the depths of her emerald orbs, beads of sweat made their way down her dirt smeared face.

"I'm… gonna get you… out of here…" She paused holding in a small noise of pain. ".. I promise you."

--

A huge gasp climbed out of her throat and her eyes grew wide as she placed herself on her hands and knees, turning to look at what rested a distance away from the cliff.

--

Konoha, in all it's destruction. There didn't seem to be any coming back from this.

--

It can't..It can't end like this..


(Forest: 2 hours prior)

The entire forest was deadly silent. It was early morning, and the sky above them still dark, resembling that of the night. The source of faded light over the horizon was still hidden, too premature in it's rising.

Out of the many spacious areas not adorned by trees, one specific clearing was a lit with a different type of light than that provided by the a mixture of the moon as forming rays of sun. The light green translucent glow created by the numerous amounts of fireflies; so small they looked to be little floating orbs of light. This, mixed with the darkness of the early morning, created a sort of blue-like surrounding. Areas where the little balls of light floated reflected more of that light green glow, though momentarily as they were constantly moving.

Here, in the small clearing, the slow, yet frequent sound of running water echoed from a distance. Also calming to the senses was the fresh smell of the various plants, their foundation richly soaked from the recent night's heavy rain.

Two figures sit idly in the clearing, unaware of the distant activities throughout the hidden forest. Maybe not even aware of how close they rested from a populated area. It would possibly take no longer than than a few hours to reach by walk. Less by run.

They sat on opposite sides of the clearing, though small in size, this separated them a few feet. It was apparent they awaited the rising of the sun, most likely with a little more than impatience.

The atmosphere seemed…uncomfortable, a heavy solemnity growing in the air with each passing moment.

--

"Sasuke?"

It took a moment, a few seconds of silence before another voice answered.

"Hn?"

At the very familiar response, a pair of emerald eyes traveled to gaze at the closed eyes of her companion.

He took position on the ground, his back and head supported by the huge boulder behind him; his leg bent up, a foundation for his arm to rest on; his other leg left stretched upon the ground. His head was slightly tilted up as it rested on the boulder, his eyes closed.

Shortly after the next, the floating balls of light would pass near him, lighting up the features of his face. Though his demeanor calm and stoic, the translucent glow provided by the floating orbs of light showed the taught lines decorating his face, hard to perceive at first glance. This represented the release of chemicals in the skin due to the feeling of pain. Emerald eyes traveled to the arm resting upon his bent knee. The once white bandages that adorned it were damply soaked, the light bluish glow of the clearing reflected the new color of the bandages as a sort of purple.

"I never got a chance to heal your arm." The tone of her voice, soft, also had a hint of worry, of suggestion.

"It's fine." His tone, also quiet, was flat and void of emotion. She let out a small intake of breath, not quite like that of a sigh. It was almost drowned out by the sound of distant running water.

"If it's not already infected it will be soon." Her voice was calm, almost rivaling his detached tone, though she was wondering why she was trying to convince him to take care of himself. "It won't take long for me to heal it."

Simple ninja procedure.Though Uchiha Sasuke didn't seem to be interested in abiding by it.


"U-Uchiha…" They were all shocked, looking helpless on the ground as they stared with wide eyes.

They watched as his Sharingan eyes slowly looked in a general direction, his eyes almost squinting as if he saw something he needed to see.

With that, he disappeared.

--

"..Bastard.." The single word reverberated from deep inside him, rumbling out of his throat dangerously. Full of so much hate, yet muttered in slightly lower pitch than would be a yell.

The seal upon his neck proceeded to pulse slowly, forebodingly.

(The sound of chuckling could be heard. It is familiar, sick, twisted.)

"Yess..that's it, Sasuke-kun. Make me pay."

--

"Something seems a bit..odd to me… You see I remember. At this point that damned beast inside you would already be out…so now..i wonder.."

His cerulean eyes burned deeper, a noise of dismay rolling out of his throat. Blood was streaming down his face, a few scratches here and there. Pieces of his clothing torn and ripped.

"


(1 hour 30 minutes prior)

Sakura leaned back onto her heals, letting out a short breath of relief.

Her emerald eyes traveled down to look at Sasuke's forearm, which was now void of any flesh wounds. It had taken a lot longer than she had thought. The wound had been infected, horribly, and the actual wound was so deep that if the kunai which had caused it had been pushed down an inch more, it would have protruded the other side of his arm.

He had tried to be casual about it, removing his arm from her grasp, and replacing it on his knee; He used his other hand to rub the once wounded area, subtly, but it was noticeable, showing that it must have felt much better, not having that wound there. He had probably grown accustomed to it.

His onyx eyes looked up to the sky, seeming to determine when the sun would rise. He seemed a bit perplexed at what he found, maybe an hour or so it would take. He closed his eyes, once again resting his head against the boulder.

"..Thank you.." He finally said after a while.

The floating balls of light exposed the small, momentary smile that graced her lips. Though it was almost twisted into a mournful one.

"Your welcome."

She finally sat all the way down on her bottom, deciding to be bold and lean against the same rock Sasuke was. She was casual, gently sitting next to him, maybe a foot away if that. If he objected, he didn't show it. His countenance and body placement mimicked that of relaxation. For some reason, she had this momentary feeling of bliss. He wasn't uncomfortable with her close proximity like he usually was. He didn't tense up, nothing. Though this was only momentary, other things heavily weighed her mind.

"What are you going to do now?"


"We only have one shot at this…teme.."


She was almost taken back when his eyes opened, slowly traveling to meet hers. He remained silent, implying that he didn't understand what she meant.

"Itachi..wasn't he the only thing you had set your mind on? Of course getting stronger and all, but that and everything else pretty much tied up your brother in a sense…avenging your clan. Now that you chose not to kill him..is there anything left you want to do?"

Is there anything keeping you from coming back home?

His onyx eyes lingered on hers for a while longer, he seemed to be contemplating something. He finally looked away, leaning his head back against the boulder. His eyes were focused somewhere up in the sky.

"..It wasn't my only goal." He said flatly, though almost with a sort of pondering. He said this as someone who was admitting something would, almost as if he was possibly disappointed. Feeling bereft.

"Oh there was reviving your clan.." For some reason she had forgotten about that. It made the reality of things even more melancholy.

"No." He said this immediately, almost cutting her off.

She was actually a bit surprised at his answer. She knew reviving his clan was one of his goals, but it seemed it wasn't as high on the list anymore. It made her wonder why. It also made her wonder what goal could be so high, that it surpassed his want for revival of his clan.

"Then..what?"

Sasuke glanced at her before looking away again. That was his way of saying he wasn't going to answer her.A small, unconscious smile graced her lips once again. Her voice was light and casual, hard to determine if it was forced.

"Well for me, I had a lot of goals…"


People, civilians were running everywhere, screaming, trying to find a safe place to hide. Among them were ninjas, shinobi.

They were fighting.

Explosions were apparent every few seconds, more and more rubble falling down, more and more fires starting.

--

"I had wanted to forget you too."

--

He had no time, he could do nothing but look into her eyes. That one split second, he could read everything.The speed in which he had reached his hand to grab hers was un-human , un-ninja. It was faster, unimaginable.

"Don't you dare!-."

--

The sound of her battle cry echoed throughout the entire area. It continued as burst of pink energy flew from her, resembling rays from the sun.

--

"You know..you're the only one right? Nobody else…only you."

--

The were countless bodies everywhere, distributed along the ground. In the midst of the massacre, stand one lone person. It was a woman, surrounded by a small layer of pink chakra. The slight wind continued to ruffle her clothes nonstop, cause her pink hair to flow behind her in the wind.

Her fists are clenched, her eyes closed.


(45 minutes prior)

"Sakura…what you want..It's impossible." Although detached, he said this in a sort of whisper, trying to stress the meaning of his words. His deep obsidian eyes traveled up to the look at the sky, which was beginning to lighten up. Rays from the sun were peaking out above the mountain, providing more light to the clearing. The little orbs of light seemed almost transparent now, though they still floated about.

He sighed , gently pulling away from her light grasp on his arm before rising into a standing position. He took a few steps away, leaving his back to face her. He brought up a hand to rub the back of his neck.

"What is it about being with me that is so hard?"

She made her way in front of him, closing the distance between them. His head was slightly tilted up as he looked down at her. She could feel his discomfort, the want to step back, but his pride bid him stay.


"Please stay with me."


(41 minutes prior)

"Please stay with me."

He slowly lowered his gaze to look at his hand, placed right above her heart. He could feel the hard pounding of her heart, it's fast, desperate beats. It unnerved him even more.

In a small, controlled panic, he had tried to casually pull his hand away, but Sakura held it in place, grasping it even tighter.


"How troublesome…" His tone held not that of annoyance, but irritation, worry. Irritation at his inability to find someone. Those simple trademark words seemed to rumble out of his throat.

"Shikamaru..do you see her yet?" The voice held a tone of worry.

"No, we have to keep looking Chouji."

--

"I told you before…do not underestimate me.." He said this slowly, shakily, with determinaton. He slowly picked himself up, blood dripping from him.


(36 minutes prior)

He tore his hand away from her.

"I can't believe you! If you would listen to me, I could give you more than enough reasons why I'm exactly what you DON'T need! Do you even know who I am? How can you throw everything away for a stranger, an S-class criminal? I haven't cared about anyone but myself and that's not about to change!"

"I know that...and it doesn't matter. I will always love you. And i will always wait."


"I had a feeling you would come. Though I still wonder, why?"

--

"Neji!" Her voice seemed muffled, almost drowned out by the sounds of weapons clashing, of battle cries. She threw another kunai landing it expertly in the throat of another. She fought her way through till she could see him once again.

Her view moved through the whole crowd of fighting ninjas as she located the source of her searching. It seemed there was almost a straight line of free space between them, an opportunity, one that was fading quickly.


(30 minutes prior)

"...I will leave you alone if you tell me the truth. ...Was it all a lie?" Her voice was ever quiet, gentle, hesitant in it's calmness.

"...It was a mistake. It will never happen again." His voice was ever monotone, flat, calm in it's finality.

--

(25 minutes prior)

"Do yourself a favor, and forget about me."

--

(5 minutes prior)

She had been running.

She had been running for quite some time now. The fatigue of her body not bringing her to halt, the craziness of her mind not bringing her to any type of thought, analyzation, conclusion. She didn't think to count the seconds, think to look behind her, only ahead. She couldn't really tell if she was out of breath, couldn't really feel the exhaustion her body was suffering, the burning of its muscles. The only thing she keenly aware of was the path in front of her, blurred and hazed by the thin sheet of tears that covered her eyes like a second layer. They hadn't fallen yet. That was really her only goal right now, to keep those inconvenient tears stored away, for a time when she would actually need them.

She didn't need them, now, right?She didn't need them ever, did she?

What had happened was nothing to cry over, right? Anything that happened to her, she was used to, she shouldn't have to cry about anything anymore. She had seen it all. And she had expected it, the moment that she ran away from, the feelings she was running away from. It was something she had already known. Something she had been expecting.

Then why did it make things that much harder?

She let out no surprised gasp nor noise as her foot crashed against the implanted root of a tree that was protruding and looping out of the earth. The only discernable sound was the thumping of her body against the soft , greenly luscious blades of grass. Instead of pushing herself back up, she rolled onto her back, as if the fall had dwindled her will to keep running; dull emerald orbs casted sight to the intriguing blue sky above, it's span decorated with slowly moving puffs of white clouds, it's sun shining with fiery elegance. Her gaze too mirrored the image of soft leaves departing from the surrounding trees, carried away by the same wind that ruffled her clothing and danced with her hair.

Haruno Sakura made no movement, her body both placid and un-motivated from where she lay. The area was heavily grassed, actually providing some spectacle of comfort, something she could have used at the moment.


"Kakashi!" He slowed down to a halt, planting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "She's alive!"


From a much higher view, Sakura's sprawled out body lay on a patch of grass, along an outstretched cliff, resembling that of a peninsula. Below the cliff lay more forest trees, though on either side of a very long, familiar path of sand and gravel.

--

She slowly closed her eyes as she just laid there, her breaths for air slowly becoming softer and more controlled. However they remained shakey, a sign of the great turmoil raging within her. The hopelessness.

She didn't know what she had been expecting.

She knew the limits, knew the consequences. She knew that it was a one time thing, he made sure to let her know, her common sense had even let her know before-hand. She thought that such knowledge would somehow make it easier, spare her the feeling of bereftness, loneliness, sensations that had tripled after that moment with him. She thought that that one moment would be enough for her, that she could continue her life with a smile, with hope afterwards. It was far from, and she was deliriously wrong. Wrong about everything. She told herself not to feel this way, she knew that it was selfish, knew that it was wrong of her to feel this way, to want more when he had made it clear for her that he couldn't give her any more. When he had sacrificed his own well-being and sane mind to give to her what he thought she had wanted. But, he did not give her what he wanted. She wanted more; most of all, she wanted time. And he could not give her that. She was selfish to ask for that.

And she was selfish to hate him for it.

To hate him for something that was her fault, not his. Not once did he ever promise her a thing, lead her on in any way, make it seem as if he felt something for her that he did not. He only kissed her out of pity, because he felt sorry for her. Because he wanted to make up for the past in a way that wouldn't make him have to stay for her future. And she let him. He only did so because she allowed it. It was selfish of her to even think of making him do otherwise, to stay with her. She hated herself for hating him. For hating the fact that he regretted every moment they had shared together, for the moment that they had met. Even when she regretted it herself. She regretted the moment they met as well. If they hadn't met, this wouldn't be happening. She wouldn't be in love with someone she could never be with. She wouldn't be away from the place she tried to call home for years, looking for a true home, for shelter in someone who didn't have the room in his heart to let her stay. For a moment, that moment, she had blinded herself from reality, knowing that it was what would bring her back to the realization that what she had wanted, that what she had needed, sought for, was impossible.

"Sakura…what you want..It's impossible."

For some reason , knowing it was impossible made it that much better , possibility only made someone hope for something only found in a child's bedtime story. They didn't fit the picture of a prince and maiden, of Romeo and Juliet, they had too many flaws, their worlds were too different.There was no happily ever after, they were ninjas, tools - they were only supposed to dream about being strong enough to fight, to protect what they cared for, not to love. And it was in that realization, that her dreams were impossible, that made it that much more adaptable, the pain.

However much she hated it, however much she regretted it, she accepted it. She could do nothing else. Because at one time, everything that happened was what she had wanted.

That one moment that she truly wanted, that he had the heart to give her, would be a once in a life time for her.

And she accepted it. Because he accepted it.

It was who he was, how he was, even though she didn't understand it. He couldn't be tied down by her, she would be his weakness, and sure as he had his enemies, he couldn't have a weakness. His life was the unknown, and part of her knew, even though she didn't understand it, that it was half the reason why he wouldn't return her aspirations.

It was something he had warned her about. Not vocally; he would never do that, but through his actions, his hesitance. That one moment, had made her realize the reality of it all, the reality that she could not have him. She could not be with him unless he decided it, there would be no convincing. She would not find out if he felt anything for her unless he allowed it. Yet there was still something she didn't understand about him - his reasons for what he did, his motives, what it was he would truly think behind his facades. She realized then and there that she didn't understand a single thing about him; and he had tried to tell her that, tried to make her understand at least that, but she couldn't. She couldn't understand him, why he did the things he did, why he couldn't just let go of his past, his ways, and repent. Just let himself be happy.

"Why don't you tell me, Sakura. When did i ever mention.. wanting happiness?"

It was that phrase alone that had made every part of her want happiness for him. He was satisified with the thought of living his whole life in misery, doing what he had to do to further his goals. and even now, that there were no goals before him, it was still the same. And she couldn't bear that. she couldn't bear the thought that he would always be alone, if he wasn't with her. Some part of her knew this. That he would travel his days in isolation, that he would travel further away from society, from moral and just ways. He would be martyr, die for a cause, and no one would know. No one would care. She couldn't let him live that kind of life. But it seemed as though there was no way. There was no way she could step into his heart without tracking in filth.

Without sticking him in another perilous situation.

She didn't know why no tears fell. She didn't know why, of all moments, she was thinking about what she would do, say, when she got back to Konoha. What lies she had to tell . Because that's all she was there. A lie. A facade. She wasn't herself in that village anymore. The only place where she was true, where she felt real, was in his arms. With Uchiha Sasuke. An idea, now, that she wouldn't be able to make into a reality. She wasn't selfish enough to keep him in her life if he didn't want to stay,; she wasn't strong enough to fight for him when she was unsure if he wanted her to fight; she wasn't stupid enough to believe that she could obtain closure while retaining hope. So she would hope no more, she would dream no more. She would just transition from day to day, doing what was necessary to exist, for the days when she would be needed. If he was going to continue the rest of his life suffering, then she would too. She could give him no less liberty. She could give herself no less of a break.

But as sure as she human, she wanted to be happy, she wanted to live. She didn't just want to exist. And she wanted more for him, she didn't just want Sasuke to exist either. So until the day she was strong enough, selfish enough, stupid enough to find him again, to fight for him, she would go on. She would leave him be.

And hoped that he would miss her enough to allow her that chance.

Her chest heaved, as a breath passed in and out of her. Emerald orbs fluttered open, and an arm raised to rest on her forehead, an act to block out the growing glare from the sun.

This time, when her eyes scanned the blue sky, there weren't just white, puffy clouds floating by, there was a long, streaming path of clouds, their color dirtied, gray to the point of black. They kept coming, the path's radius widening to a wave-like with of black-nothingness. It was then that the smell stung her nose.

Sakura abruptly rose into a sitting position, turning her body around to follow the trail of smoke. She noticed that she was on a cliff, but that did not occupy her concern. As she used what was left of her will to crawl towards the edge of the cliff, allowing miles of sight ahead, a huge gasp climbed out of her throat, her eyes grew wide as she placed herself on her hands and knees, turning to look at what rested a distance away from the cliff.

--

"Sakura!"

--

"Sasuke!"

--

"Naruto!"

--

--

(Image)

(From a distance)

There was cliff, one that overlooked the land, the forest below it. A part of this stretched out, somewhat like a ledge, it was heavily vegetated with grass, a few flowers managing to stay in bloom. On top of this ledge sat a figure, her pink hair flowing out to the side, dancing along with the wind. She was on her hands and knees, seemingly looking in the direction of the land below.

There was a village, embedded in the deep forest.Yet something wasn't right.

Smoke adorned the sky like clouds, coveting the once blue sky like a storm. The flaring fire replaced the sun's glare as they raged, its flames engulfing everything in its path.Pieces of a wall began to crumble in various places, huge gaps decorated it in numerous places.There were countless ninjas everywhere, fighting mercilessly, the glimmering of the metal on their weapons could be seen even from this far a distance.The forest around this village was completely decimated, it's trees lost to their foundations, the vegetation replaced by black debris, still simmering with smoke.

--

(Konoha: 20 minutes prior)

He slowly stepped out , his cerulean eyes wide, yet slowly to normal, a sort of eerie calmness direction his body movements, as orbs slowly transitioned back and forth towards places he was able to percieve. Observing, analyzing, searching. His blond, spiky hair partly reflected the orange-glow of the flames surrounding.


"We only have one shot at this…teme."


His calmness as he continued to walk was ever foreboding, mysterious - his stops prolonged, light.

The counterbalance to this was the silent intensity in his eyes. Anger, burning, smothering in their depths as he continued to look around with ease. As his ears were overwhelmed with the harmonies of explosions and screaming and clashing weapons. As his sensitive nose was tingled with the mingled smells - the blood, smoke, fires.

He paused however, as a few paces around the corner of an abandoned street lead him to all the action, his eyes settling a distance away on the huge, endless crowd of battles.

It was then that he disappeared, his destination clear.


"I know..dobe."


Thanks For Reading!

Aaaand if you readers aren't to happy about the gaps with Sasu/Saku's convo's and everything that happened before the whole BOOM BOOM thingys, just tell me. And i think next chapter, i can put in flashbacks of the convo and stuff.

Or..we can just continue and get right into the action and what not. Fo sho.

OR..maybe do the whole next chapter normal, and just switch back between Sasu/Saku and Konoha, and all that stuff before the BOOM BOOM,which was what i was gonna originally do with this chapter. Yeppers, it's up to yous my beautiful Butterflies. Fo sho.

I love puppies.

But yea Reviews would be totally amazing... That Phillsbury Boy hasn't completley died yet. And that button is way too rusty.