Authors Note: Hello dear readers, let me apologize in advance for the length it took for my to get out this chapter, the more or less rushed fight in this chapter, and the overall shortness of the chapter. This one was rather painful for me to write, and so it sat in my queue with my glaring at it for quite some time before I finally bit the bullet and threw it out for you all. That being said, please note that this story does NOT have a Beta, therefore there will be mistakes by the handful. Don't waste either of our time pointing out my painful grammar, trust me when I say I've used every form of online spell check one can whilst re-reading my chapters an almost painful amount of times. There comes a point where one has to simply say 'fuck it' and post the chapter, mistakes be damned.
On the bright side of me taking so long on one otherwise simple chapter, it's given me time to iron out details and plan ahead for the future of this story, all exciting things I promise, so please bear with me.
Title: If I Live
Author: ALightLit
Beta: - MIA (as in Missing In Action)
Type: AU
Status: Incomplete - Ongoing.
Rating: T (Rating may change due to maturing characters.)
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto!
Pairing: Undecided.
Word Count: 1,478
Intro: It took one minute, one choice, and one girl, to mess all of Orochimaru's plans up. Sakura Haruno managed to beat fear – with love. She moved in front of her crush as a last resort. However, every victory has its price.
R&R
"It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace."
― Chuck Palahniuk
"Good thinking, getting away with clones," Kabuto noted.
Four Ninja stood in a demolished clearing. Sasuke and Naruto supported one another (Naruto's arm was badly bruised and Sasuke's ankle was twisted, but otherwise they were unscathed) while Sakura stood beside Kabuto, who was re-wrapping her injured arm.
Behind them sat two bound men, the third member of the foreign team was nothing but a gory mess in the distance. No one looked at the body, no one mentioned the blood on Sakura, all that mattered was that Team 7 now had a scroll and if they got to the Tower fast enough they would pass.
"I'll help you bunch get the rest of the way there, we're all a little beat up so it's better to travel as a group, ne?" Kabuto smiled at the kids. His own arm was wrapped.
"Aa,"
"Great, here Naruto-kun I'll help carry Sasuke-kun the rest of the way." Kabuto stepped away from Sakura and the three boys tried to arrange themselves in a more comfortable position for the journey ahead.
Sakura moved in a daze, following behind them all as a cold nestled deep into her bones; the young girl was worried she would never be warm again.
It's okay Sakura-chan, you did the right thing.
(A pale arm was sticking out of the girl's chest and brilliant blue eyes stared at her with such horror and surprise it was nauseating to think that a part of her was howling with joy as the girl screamed-)
The weak don't deserve to live.
(-and there was so much blood, she felt phantom breath on her neck and Sakura could see the shadow in the corner of her eye, telling her to finish the girl off, to rip out her heart-)
You destroyed her beautifully.
(-this is not who she is, it's the weird mark, it's all because of that man. She is not a monster.)
It was a real shame for the girl, her eyes had been so pretty.
(For as long as she could remember she had lived life with the sun in her eyes, blinding and bright and shining so strongly she was blind, she had hated it. Now she realizes, as she sits in alone in the dark, how horribly wrong she was.)
[If I Live]
"Before I tell you all what the third exam entails," Eighteen genin stood at attention, curious eyes watching the Hokage's every move. "I am going to tell you the true purpose of these exams, so listen closely."
Sakura stood behind Naruto and Sasuke, her shoulders were hunched and the girl dug her nails into the side of her neck, covering the mark with the palm of her hand. All of the rookie genin from the village had made it through, along with a team from Suna and Sound. Six teams had passed, in total.
Zaku's team did not make it, and Sakura tried very hard to not think about what that meant.
The true purpose of the exams ended up being a rather grim subject. Ninja chosen as champions to fight for the pride of their nation, showcase skill sets and talent, and to overall show how much military strength each village held, all under the ruse of building a friendship between villages.
"Preliminary rounds?" Sasuke hissed, clearly agitated. "No one mentioned anything about that."
Naruto was staring back at Sakura, his expression that was worry and Sakura found it hard to meet his eyes, they were almost the same color as that girl's eyes.
"Sakura-chan," He said, gaining Sasuke's attention. "If you don't think you can make it you can withdraw, we would underst-" Sasuke cut him off with a harsh shove to the shoulder.
"She can do this." The boy snapped. "She isn't dropping out."
Naruto glared hard at his rival, eyes flashing. "Sakura-chan can make her own choices, you bastard." He hissed lowly.
In half a second each boy had the shirt of the other in a tightly clenched fist, battles raging in their eyes it looked as if an actual fight would start before Sakura interrupted, voice subdued and eyes downcast.
"I'll be fine, stop fighting." She mumbled, right as Kabuto declared he was unfit to fight any longer and broke away from the remaining Ninja.
Attention diverted elsewhere, Naruto released Sasuke and started shouting questions at the silver haired man as he retreated. Sakura twitched slightly, a pang of pain spreading down her arm and to her fingertips, but she ignored it in favor of setting her mind to the task at hand. She would have to find a way to get through the round without her chakra, or else she was at risk of calling on the power that the mark provided.
The young girl was so absorbed in trying to come up with a plan she missed the golden orbs that tracked her every move.
"Now then," The Hokage paused to cough, "The first round shall begin if you all will turn your attention to the screens, we will see who is starting."
The crowd grew quiet and turned as one, all eyes were on the screens as names flashed too quickly to read.
Yoroi Akado vs. Sakura Haruno
"Everyone other than Haruno and Akado please proceed to the viewing stands."
There was an odd moment of silence only broken by the footsteps of the other teens as they made way across the arena and up the stairs. Besides Sakura, her team hesitated.
"You can do it," Sasuke said tensely before he dragged the blonde idiot away.
Sakura shifted from foot to foot awkwardly as she suddenly found her mouth very dry, as if she had attempted to eat sand. Swallowing hard, the young girl faced her opponent.
Yoroi snorted, clearly amused. "I have to fight some kid with pink hair?" He paused, giving her a once over. "She looks like she about to kneel over." The boy chuckled. The girl in question hunched her shoulders slightly, eyes narrowing.
Logically, she knew there would be no good way for this to end, she knew nothing about her opponent despite both of them hailing from the same village, he was clearly a few years her elder and with a cold kind of realization, Sakura noted he probably had reason to be confident.
The proctor gave the order to begin, and Yoroi burst forward, hands glowing blue as he declared that he would end this quickly - for her sake.
Kill.
Sakura dove to the side at the last second, rolling across the concrete whilst ignoring how her skin scraped on the hard surface uncomfortably, she dodged sluggishly. How could she possibly fight if her body was so weak? The damn mark was sapping her energy, there was no way she could win.
The man dove towards her once again, to which Sakura all but threw herself out of the way. She landed hard on unprotected palms, hissing in pain she was not ready in the slightest when Yoroi kicked her in the ribs and sent her tumbling across the cold ground.
I have to make it through! Sasuke-kun and Naruto can't be the only ones to pass!
He was there in an instant, hand wrapped around her throat, so enamored with the idea of victory that he missed when her eyes suddenly went from emerald to a shade of green so dark they were nearly black. The mark on her neck flared to life, much to Sakura's horror.
Fight.
"I'm going to suck every last drop of chakra out of your useless body," He hissed, enjoying the pain he was causing so much he missed when she reached into her pouch and pulled something out.
I can't lose here.
The arena exploded in smoke, blocking the viewpoint for the crowd and effectively blinding her opponent.
"Stop playing!" He hissed, sending chakra to his feet and jumping above the cloud, Yoroi landed safely outside of the smoke looking smug. "You can't attack with me out here." He laughed.
A bony elbow slammed into the middle of his back, sending him flying back into the smoke. "Good thing I was out here too." She mumbled, before jumping in after him.
The crowd watched in tense silence as the smoke slowly cleared.
Yoroi appeared to be on top of Sakura, both hands on her neck and he hunched over her fallen form.
"The winner of round one is-" a faint crackle could be heard as hair stood on end. Something flashed between the two teens bodies and then Yoroi toppled over, a scream of agony ripping it way through his throat before he stilled, chest barely moving.
Win.
There was silence - But never for you - and then...
"The winner of round one is Haruno Sakura."
Medic-nin swarmed in, lifting both teens onto stretchers. Kakashi vanished from the stands just as the next names came up on the screen.
Uchiha Sasuke Vs. Uzumaki Naruto
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tsuzuku
Question for this chapter: What is your favorite animal? Other than the norm (as in dogs, cats, and fish)