Chapter 24: A Dark Gathering

A/N: Okay, this chapter is also short but I hope you'll be intrigued. Please R n R.

In a dark room, a man entered the room. "It's confirmed… the phoenix has been sighted once again," he reported. "So it's true then… one still lives." A man with long silver hair approached the scout as he finished his report. The man only nodded. "Tell me… about this templar?" he asked saying the word templar with immense distaste.

"Kamui, this templar you're talking about is only an eighteen year old girl. What purpose will she serve for us?" the man asked. "Touya, age is not a basis in this matter. It's her blood line that we need. Now tell me... who about the last templar?" the man named Kamui demanded.

Taking into consideration Kamui's reasoning, "The last templar is a kunoichi from the hidden leaf village named Haruno, Sakura…" "Haruno, Sakura," Kamui interrupted and started to laugh maniacally. "Kamui?" Touya was so confused about his sudden enjoyment. "This Sakura has pink hair and emerald-green eyes, am I correct?" Kamui asked as he stopped laughing and turned serious. "Yes… but how did you know?"

"We've met once before," Kamui answered as he remembered…

FLASHBACK

Kamui was hiding in the shadows as he was spying on the hokage of the hidden leaf village… as he did with the kages of other nations. This blond lady was no different from the others. She seems to be clueless as well. He thought as he stared at the fifth as she was training a pink haired kunoichi about healing techniques.

Tsunade was teaching Sakura the most complicated technique that took her years to perfect. She demonstrated it to her only pupil and Sakura observed with all her determination. A few fast hand seals, Tsunade's hand were covered with green gentle chakra and placed it on the wound of an almost dying deer.

Once her hand was over the wound, the damage was undone were rapidly. "Now, you try," Tsunade ordered her pupil. Sakura was confident so she gave it a shot. This time it was only a wounded bird. Sakura focused her chakra on her hand just like what she observed but her actions froze when she heard the bird's cry of pain.

"What happened?" she asked herself. "You put too much chakra… remember less is not good but too much is worse," she instructed Sakura. At that moment, Shizune entered the training grounds. "Tsunade-sama, what are you still doing here you should've been in the meeting with the diplomats from the village of sand an hour ago," she exclaimed. "Yes, Yes, I'm coming," Tsunade reassured her.

As she was headed towards Shizune, "Sakura, continue practicing until you've got it perfectly. Only if you're done with this, can you continue for the next level," Tsunade explained as the two disappeared.

Sakura looked at the fidgeting bird on her hand. "I'm sorry little guy. Don't worry. I'll try harder so please be patient," she apologized as again and again she tried to heal the wounded creature and every time the bird always screeched.

She stood there catching her breath as the amount of chakra in her body got thoroughly drained through her training. The bird was flying happily on the nearby tree. She finally did it. Her body shook, her hands ache, her head was throbbing but nothing could take away the feeling of warmth in her soul. "Finally, I did something right," she triumphantly said to herself as she looked at the lazy clouds hovering above.

When Tsunade left her pupil, Kamui should've left as well but something about this pink haired kunoichi called her attention. So instead of following an ordinary kage, he stayed there and spied on the healer-in-training.

As she lay on the patch of grass, Kamui decided to make his presence known. Sakura feeling that she wasn't alone rapidly stood up and took a kunai from her holster. "Who's there?" she demanded an answer. Kamui walked into where the sunlight beamed.

Noticing the forehead protector of the hidden leaf, Sakura let her guard down. "Oh, you're a ninja here. I'm sorry I was just surprised that's all," she explained shyly as she returned her kunai from her holster. Kamui raised his eyebrow at her conclusion. Oh, she must've seen this forehead protector I took when I killed the anbu that trailed me a while ago. "That's no problem," he replied. "What are you doing here anyway?" he followed on a question.

"Training," Sakura answered as she looked at the bird she just healed. "What for? Don't you get trained in by your sensei?" he inquired. "Yes… of course we train… but…" Sakura can't explain it but somehow she felt she could've related her entire biography to this stranger and not feel embarrassed at all. "I wanted to become stronger…" "What for? Strength does nothing but victimize people with their victories." Kamui said with an expression of hate in his blue eyes.

Sakura stared into his eyes for the longest time. "I think you're right." With this, Kamui waked from his daydream of hate and angst. "But I guess not all people see strength as a weapon… I see it as a shield…" Kamui was intrigued by this girl. How can she answer me without the slightest difficulty unlike the others I've asked before? "A shield?" "Before… I wanted to have strength so I can be acknowledged by everyone… to be praised and… to be loved. But I guess that didn't work. You see when I tried to heal that bird a while ago with that intention in mind… I failed…" "Then I started to rethink my objective in becoming stronger… I realized that for the longest time I've always held a façade that fooled everyone… I even fooled myself… it was not because of acknowledgement that I wanted to be stronger… it was because I wanted to protect the most important people in my life. I wanted to be their shield against anything and… I can't do that if I'm weak. When I had that figured out, I tried to heal the bird again and without the slightest difficulty… I did," she explained.

She's saying all of this with unclouded eyes… she's telling the truth. "I wish I could've met you before," Kamui said as he though I wish I could've met this girl before I joined "them" but now there's no turning back. "What's the difference anyway? You've met me now. Now there's no difference with the past and the present," she tried to humor him but no response came.

"No, it's too late for me," he replied. "What?" Sakura was confused. "Don't mind me. What's your name?" he asked. "Sakura… Haruno Sakura. What yours?" She smiled. "Sakura… well then I hope you get the strength you need to be their shield," he started to walk away. "Wait! What's you name?" she asked from a distance.

"Kamui," this was the first time since he joined the group that he's given a name to anyone other than those in their group. "Kamui," she repeated to herself. "I hope we'll meet again Kamui-san… and by that time… I'll be strong enough to protect everyone maybe even you," he heard her said from afar.

"For your sake Sakura, I hope not," he whispered to himself as he approached his companion in the growing darkness.

END OF FLASHBACK

"What happened to the traitor that took the forbidden spell to reincarnate his dead lover?" Kamui asked Touya with a hint of irritation at the thought of Ken running away in his expense. The whip marks on his back still ache every now and then and now it burns at the thought of his half brother.

"He's dead… so is his lover. Sakura took care of them," Touya replied. "She also lifted the curse of immortality on the Xenoliths," he added. "She has achieved so much in a little amount of time… indeed she has become stronger," he said to himself. Sakura, why do we have to cross paths again? His mind unconsciously questioned.

"I'm going to call the rest. The time for retribution has come," Touya informed. "You do that," Kamui replied as his stomach turned but he did not let Touya notice it.

As Touya left the room, Sakura I've delayed them this far since the day we've met but I'm afraid your time is growing short. "Looks like your wish would come true, Sakura-san, we'll be meeting each other again very soon," he talked to himself as his mind said, I'm sorry…

A/N: Okay guys, these were twin chapters so please read and review. You can review twice its two chapters anyway. Please I want to hear from you guys… damn it's hot inside this closet. winks.