Someone Screaming

The Alternate Story – Dim Light

Ayane Selznick

It was the second night of being alone in his dull room.

He had nothing to do other than sleep, eat and think of anything after the finale with his brother. He did everything to pursue his goal - to send Itachi to his grave, but what did he receive?

There was nothing.

Sasuke was full of emptiness. He never understood why he felt nothing. He didn't know why there wasn't any feeling of achievement or happiness. Or maybe he never understood himself…

He pushed himself up, leaning his back at the head of his bed. Pushing his right leg up, he slowly put his right arm on his kneecap and looked at the window. It was already evening and there wasn't much to see other than dim lights from the sky and shadows of the trees and buildings below.

Serenity… it was serenity that greeted him.

However this serenity was trying to eat his consciousness away. He decided to neglect his resting hours. He was bored already even if it was just only two days after he awakened. Sasuke wanted to do something.

He wanted to meet someone.

He wanted to see her.

After a full minute of inner debate he finally made a decision. Slipping out from his hospital bed, he walked towards the door and out of his room.

While sneaking successfully, Sasuke learned that her room was at the second floor of the building. She was imprisoned in an ICU. Nobody told him about her state in detailed information so he wanted to see for himself if she was going to be alright…

If she was going to live…

He came in to a stop when he noticed two ANBU guards standing passively at the door of her room. Maybe there were also some guards at the window. Surely, all of the escape routes and possible ways of getting in were all blocked. The only way to get to her was passing by the guards at her door.

But he didn't want to be known. He didn't want them to know that he wanted to see her. That he came to visit her since she was in no condition to visit him.

Too busy to think of a plan, Sasuke almost jumped in surprise when a hand tapped his shoulder. Instinctively, he turned around to meet the person who invaded his privacy.

His eyes almost went wide but he retained it being dull and small when he found out that the person who just came was…

"Kakashi."

"Yo!" Sasuke didn't respond. He had to start the conversation again. "You look like a walking mummy at this hour. Shouldn't you be inside your room?"

Sasuke shrugged Kakashi's hand away from his shoulder. He returned looking at the door where Sakura was in and thought of going in next time. Kakashi had seen him so it's no use to make it a secret.

"You still have your bandages with you. Go back to your room and sleep, Sasuke. It's best that you get well soon so Tsunade can start talking to you."

The last of the Uchihas remained still. He refused to say anything as he was completely engaged in his inner disputes. Kakashi's words would just slip inside his ear then release to the other.

The older man sighed. This boy, now a young man, didn't need any cheerful conversation. So be it then, he'd give him a direct discussion.

"She's in a coma." Kakashi noticed Sasuke's tensed shoulder, finally a reaction. "A deadly psychological attack of which penetrated her mind made her ill. The response of her body wasn't normal. However,"

Sasuke looked to his side to get a glimpse of his ex-teacher. He really wanted to know more about what happened to Sakura and a cliffhanger statement won't do any good.

Kakashi noticing this resumed his statement, "Tsunade mentioned that… miraculously, Sakura was able to divert a direct attack towards her brain."

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock… She… What?

The out of the blue, Sasuke turned his head forward, hanging it low as though he was at mercy. Kakashi walked towards him in order to tell him something but Sasuke took that opportunity to voice out what had he had been shouting in his mind.

"It was my fault."

Kakashi halted his steps.

"If I wasn't careless then… none of this would've happened."

Kakashi understood. Sakura had been the most fragile student he once had. She developed maturely and wisely. She was strong and everybody respected her. However even with the most number of changes a person could obtain, some of her old habits would never die easily. Just for instance, putting herself up in front of her teammates or the one she valued the most. She would do everything to save a life… even if she sacrificed her own.

"It should've been me…" Kakashi heard Sasuke muttered.

Sasuke lowered his head in sorrow.

All he said was true. He regretted it. He regretted being careless, being selfish and being out of control. All he ever wanted was power, strength and goal fulfillment but in the end he knew that there would be nothing to receive.

Kakashi noticed Sasuke's shuddering fist.

The young man must have been in deep thinking when he awakened. Sasuke wasn't the type of guy to blame himself for the sake of others, other than his clan of course, but the seeping regret he was showing was nothing but a clear sign of his failure.

A failure to protect someone close to his heart…

Kakashi thought that even before, the kid, now a young man, would probably be the most stone-hearted person ever born in this world. The emotions he would usually see from Sasuke were hate, fear, vengeance, anger and arrogance.

The emotions never of failure and repentance…

…not even anxiety… for her.

Yet Kakashi was glad even after Sasuke's long absence, he was able to nurture for someone who had cared for him a long time ago. He was glad that Sasuke proved that he was not what he was when he left.

He proved that he changed.

Breaking the silence with his footsteps, Kakashi went pass by Sasuke and straight to the ANBU guards at Sakura's door.

The two ANBU guards looked at the casual walking Jounin.

"Kakashi-san." They both greeted.

Kakashi crinkled his lone eye in return. "Any news?" His tone immediately turned serious.

One of the ANBU guards was obligated to respond. "Nurse and doctors occasionally visits Sakura-san. She's not that okay."

The Jounin's eye turned down. He was expecting those words to be revealed but he was also half expecting that something miraculous as her waking up on her bed would somehow come up sooner or later.

Sighing dejectedly, he went directly to his purpose. "I have my ex-student with me. Perhaps he can go in and visit his ex-teammate, alright?"

Before they could answer, they looked at each other. Both pair of eyes gave a knowing look before they gave Kakashi their answer.

"As long your going in with him, it will be fine."

Kakashi gave them another crinkled eye before saying, "He's not mental and I believe he's going to be okay alone."

There was a dramatic pause before one of the guards gave room for Kakashi and/or his ex-student to enter ICU.

"Come out now, Sasuke."

When called, Sasuke breathed in a nervous air before coming out from behind the wall. The ANBU guards meticulously looked at him before they allow him to walk over.

Kakashi opened the door for Sasuke because he already noticed the young man's head hanging low as though his mind was flying off elsewhere. Kakashi wouldn't expect a word of gratitude or anything positive from Sasuke instead when Sasuke entered the room Kakashi instinctively pulled the door and closed it.

Privacy is what Sasuke needed.

All he could hear inside the four corners of the white room was his footsteps.

After Kakashi closed the door behind him, Sasuke had his head up allowing himself to wander. Everything was white aside from the hospital gadgets, the curtain, the wires and her manifesting pink hair.

Sasuke rested his eyes on her sleeping form. He wondered when she would wake up to start annoying him. As he plunged in his thoughts, his feet looked as though it has a mind of its own. They started dragging him towards her bed.

Nearing her, he noticed the monitor for her heart. Noting the rhythm of the apparatus, he concluded that everything was normal. She was fine. He looked at her again. Her breathing was low and quiet.

Sasuke stopped walking when he arrived at the side of her bed. He scrutinized every single bandage that wrapped around her head and neck. He was positive that there was more of it underneath the bed sheet.

He laid his eyes on her face again, noticing the oxygen mask enclosing her small quiet breathings. Her chest was slowly rising and falling while the monitor followed it simultaneously.

It was so unlike her. Everything around her was quiet. Everything that surrounded her was unanimated. None of them reminded of her.

Frankly, he could not fathom what he felt when Hinata, Naruto and even Kakashi told him about her situation. He was not expecting her to live after his late brother directed his Mangekyou Sharingan on her. Nobody outside the Uchiha clan could survive from that attack, other than Kakashi who acquired Sharingan from his friend.

It's not like he didn't trust her to live… but… it made him accountable for whatever happened to her. He would always tell himself: "if only I was stronger" and "I can't protect the ones I care the most."

True, he cared but he rarely showed it. And he would surely regret it when the one he mostly cared would die before him. He wished it wouldn't happen.

Despite being guilty and rueful… he was thankful.

He was thankful that she was there to protect him… and Naruto.

He was thankful that with her power, being the only Medic Nin in their team, she helped them survive… live.

He was also thankful that… it was her who came back to him first… it was her who accepted him regardless of his status being a Missing Nin… a traitor.

But…how would he thank her when she was on her bed - sleeping forever? If he would thank her, would she hear it? He doesn't even have the courage to say those words… he had said it once but he felt like it was cast away forever.

Sasuke noticed the chair by her bed. He silently pulled it to him and sat on it. While she was peacefully drifting off to dreamland, here he was - watching her condition, wondering if she'd be okay for the next hours… or even days.

Her left arm was placed atop the quilt. It was the one who doesn't have a tube injection.

Sasuke looked at her white fragile arm.

How could a fragile young woman be this strong? How did she protect them?

But wasn't he weak before? Wasn't he the one who would continuously infuriate because of his own misery, being called weak and helpless? He would always tell the world that he needed power, that he would use it against his brother. But no matter how strong he became, there would always be a part of his being where a certain spot of his weakness showed.

Just like Sakura… despite her being emotionally, intelligently, spiritually strong she was still weak at some aspects.

Sasuke bent his head while he reached Sakura's left arm that was at rest. He wondered how her hands had the capability of reaching him wherever he goes. She was able to reach him every time he felt weak. She was able to reach him every time he was consumed in darkness, trying his own way back to the light.

Clasping his shaky hand on her wrist, he slowly enclosed her tiny hands into his hands.

The evident coldness that enveloped her hand made him shiver. She wasn't this cold before. She was always warm. Her hands were always warm and healing.

Knitting his brows, he slowly tightened his hold and touched it with his forehead.

"Please… wake up…"

To be continued...

Author's Note: Right. I really have to think of how to end this one. I'm actually tired of prolonged chapters. And some of the paragraphs have senseless metaphors. This isn't the last chapter.

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