Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.
Bring Me To Life
Summary: After Sasuke left, Sakura didn't know what her purpose in life was anymore. Her presence has becoming nothing. When three years pass, Sasuke comes back to Konoha. At his return, Sakura is at a mix of emotions. "Save Me From The Nothing I've Become."
Chapter 6 – Stay
Sasuke quickly sprinted towards the entrance of Konohagakure. He noticed Sakura's skin becoming paler with every passing minute. His eyes narrowed, his mouth frowning. He hoisted her higher in his arms.
Damn it, he thought.
As the Hidden Leaf Village came into view, the Uchiha noted two ANBU positioned in front of the gates as guards.
He landed gracefully on the floor, the kunoichi still held in his arms. Instantaneously the ANBU glanced over at the two, eyeing the Uchiha beneath their masks as they glanced down at the well-known medic in his hands. After all, she had skills that ranked with the Godaime's, causing her name to be heard throughout the village.
"What happened to her?" interrogated one of the ANBU sternly. His tone didn't bother lacing the complete detest it held.
Ebony eyes squinted at the harsh voice. "We don't have time for this," he barked back quietly. "Take her to the hospital." Saying no more, he sauntered over a few steps, handing Sakura's mangled body to the highly skilled shinobi before him.
"Don't think you're getting away with this, Uchiha," the other warned to him ominously before vanishing from sight, sprinting over the roofs of Konoha to get to the hospital destination.
Sasuke scoffed at what was meant to be an admonition to him, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Tsunade's going to want an explanation for this, he presumed, realizing he would have to attend the hospital as well.
With that thought bared in mind, the Uchiha Prodigy quickly made some hand signs and disappeared, noting he would go to the hospital when summoned, and instead would use the allowing time to train.
"Tsunade-sama!"
The doors to the Godaime's office burst open, followed by a sprinting Shizune who ran rapidly..
Immediately Tsunade's face snapped upwards, her pupils red with bags under her eyes from lack of sleep.
"What is it, Shizune?" she questioned, her tone somewhat cranky. "This better be fucking important…" she mumbled absent-mindedly.
"It is, Tsunade-sama!" shouted the assistant, having heard her mumble. Her arms flailed about. "It's Sakura-san – she's in the hospital and her wounds are fatal!"
This completely woke up the blonde-haired Hokage. "What?" she questioned, her voice full of authority. "Where is she now?"
"In the hospital, the nurses have requested for your assistance," breathed out Shizune, scurrying speedily after the Godaime that had brushed her by, following the female sannin towards Konohagakure's hospital.
((SFX: Slam!))
Tsunade busted through the doors, her arms spread from having burst through the entrance as she held the entry behind her extended arms.
"Where is my apprentice?" her voice boomed, laced with control.
One of the nurses came up to her a moment later. "Over here, Godaime-sama, please follow me."
The nurse quickly dashed towards Sakura's room, Tsunade hot on her heels. Once there, she opened the door, holding it open as the legendary medic nin strolled inside.
Instantaneously, golden almond eyes scanned over the blossom-haired girl's wounds in a professional manner.
"Do you know who did this to her?" interrogated the blonde-haired woman quietly, ambling towards her young apprentice with immediate healing chakra forming at the palms of her hands. After all, she had to know whom had wounded her student to determine the best way to care for her.
"The ANBU ninja just came in with her in their arms," quickly answered the random nurse truthfully.
"How did they find her?" Tsunade asked, her tone serious, beginning the healing process by preventing the blood flowing out of Sakura's body.
"Uchiha-san brought her here in his arms," another female doctor informed.
"Uchiha, you say?" she questioned, deliberately calm. Her fists clenched then unclenched as the legendary medic nin continued healing. "Summon him here. Now!"
A nurse quickly nodded, darting out of the tense O.R. room to get the requested raven-haired male.
What could have gone wrong with the mission that not even the Uchiha could have protected her? Pondered Tsunade in her mind, her lips pursing at the thought. The mission shouldn't have lead Sakura to get this badly injured…
An hour later…
Raven hair blew by his face as he paced inside the hospital room the nurse had spoke where Tsunade was. The blonde sannin was still working diligently on her pupil, most of the blood cleaned up as she focused mostly on her deep injuries.
Upon sensing his presence, her gold eyes averted to the back of her head as she glimpsed at him, then immediately went back to the surgery she was performing.
"Where were you?" she demanded vaguely.
After all, it had taken an hour just to find a single person. Konoha wasn't that largely populated of a village, either.
"I'm not an easy person to find," he answered simply yet curtly, leaning his body on the wall as he crossed his arms over his chest. He dropped his katana on the floor, a small clang when it came in contact with the ground. The object lay idle as he didn't bother to pick it up. "What do you want?"
"What happened on the mission?" interrogated the Godaime, having finished the surgery as she took a breath of air. She had been working nonstop, and with constant chakra depleted from her system, her body had grown reasonably weary. The legendary medic then proceeded to retrieving gauze and wrapping it around the healing wounds on Sakura's body.
"You think it's my fault that your own apprentice couldn't protect herself?"
"That's not what I'm implying, Uchiha," she replied evenly. "What circumstances lead to her injuries?"
"Itachi and Kisame ambushed us," he responded poignantly, eyebrows knitting together in a scowl at the memory.
"So you went after your brother and left Sakura with an S-Class missing nin?" Tsunade scoffed. "How dare you estimate her strength—"
"I merely overestimated her. Isn't that what she wants people to do? She wants to be seen a as a strong kunoichi, is that not so?"
Tsunade gaped at his assumptions. How could he possibly know that?
"She made that known when she would overexert herself in training," he added quietly.
Tsunade narrowed her almond eyes. "You noticed?"
He shrugged indifferently at her inquiry. "She made it known – especiallyto me – years ago."
Tsunade glanced at Sakura, watching as her pale skin was slowly returning color.
"She has grown," she spoke wistfully before giving the Uchiha a pointed look.
"In your opinion," he retorted briskly with a sneer. "I expected more from this village."
He didn't bother saying anything more, leaning his weight away from he wall as he made his way to the door of the hospital room, making his silent departure.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she mused with a scowl, long after the Uchiha had gone.
Sasuke roamed the streets of Konohagakure. I should have left this village long ago, he thought as he watched young kids running around as parents watched them. Years of training, gone to waste. Onyx eyes averted from their gaze as they glimpsed upon some of the young children training to be shinobi. Che, they have no idea.
He soon found his body walking down the aisles of house in the Uchiha district absent-mindedly. As charcoal eyes glanced over at the familiar sights, his strides halted when he came upon a familiar split in the wall where a picture of the Uchiha crest had been. His mind played a remembrance of Itachi throwing the kunai there, creating a fissure from the impact of the sharp knife.
His face sneered, tearing his hateful gaze away from the unpleasant memory. He found himself glancing at the outside of his old residence, remembering the night of the tragedy that befell the Uchiha Clan.
I lost everyone all because this village refused to teach us what truly unlocked our powers, thought Sasuke darkly. He blinked slowly, and when his eyes came into view once more, onyx had transformed into threatening scarlet.
He walked through the rooms, remembering how his younger self went roaming through them in hopes of finding any member of his family still alive – any survivors.
The young Uchiha paused when he came to standing in the front of the very area where he had come upon witnessing the corpses of both his parents. He opened it, ambling in slowly. His expression blanked as his onyx gaze fell upon the former space where his mother an father were lying still, dead.
"Pathetic," he muttered, turning his back and walking out of his house as he remembered his younger self standing in agony at the sight of his parents.
He calmly made his way out of the Uchiha District, having no further intention of going back.
Power… I need more power. This village won't help at all with this goal, he firmly decided.
This time, he had made up his mind solidly. He was leaving, and never coming back.
He stood at the lone path that led to the outskirts of Konohagakure discreetly. Night had taken it's place upon the skies, the full moon beaming brightly as it lit the darkened atmosphere. A brisk breeze blew by, the chilly air so cold light cuts were felt as it blew by the Uchiha's pale skin.
He almost chuckled at the irony. Just like the same night as before.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets, taking a few long strides towards the exit. Kuso, he thought, realizing he had forgotten an important item. My katana.
He turned his body, only to meet the sight of a familiar face. The individual glimpsed back at him with evident sadness portrayed on her face – an expression he knew all too well.
"You're leaving…" her hoarse voice whispered.
Sasuke glanced at her, a blank expression on his face. His gaze wavered from her porcelain face to her body, trailing down her mangled form as he eyed the many bandages dawned against her.
"Leaving..." she repeated vacantly. After furiously blinking large sea green eyes, her croaky voice spoke once more, softly. "…Again?"
Charcoal orbs narrowed when he saw the item he had been missing. There, with her, was his katana of Kusanagi gripped securely in her hands, wrapped in her arms.
"My katana…" he breathed in a voice so low it almost seemed inaudible. "Give it to me."
Sakura looked at him, her grasp tightening on the sword as she held it closer to chest.
"If I give it to you…" her voice was barely above a whisper, "…You'll leave."
"Stop concerning yourself with what I do," he murmured brashly to her, extending out his arm with his palm faced upwards. "Give it to me, Sakura."
"My name…" she whispered. "Saying it… brings back… so many memories…" Her eyes rounded, a glossy look to them as they glistened.
Memories she had pushed down for so many years, all erupting before she had a chance to react.
"I don't have time for this. This village will bring me nothing, there's no point in staying here."
"How do you know? You just got here!" Unconsciously, her mouth had reacted before her mind had time to think, causing her to yell abruptly. This caused the blossom-haired girl to cough a couple times, her voice box somewhat affected by her injuries.
"If you want this back," spoke she velvety softly, holding out his desired katana, "you'll fight me for it."
"You're going to reopen your wounds."
"I don't care," she replied to his matter-of-fact tone hastily. "I'll do anything, just as long as you stay here."
Che, anything? he thought in sarcasm, his face twisting into an annoyed scowl.
"I already told you, Sakura – stop concerning yourself with what I do."
"I can't help it! Don't you understand what Naruto and I went through trying to get you back? Why don't you want us to care for you?" retorted Sakura, her determination lowering faintly when she glimpsed that he was getting exasperated.
"I told you before, and I'll tell you again. I will do anything for power."
Sakura took a step closer towards the Uchiha, "Anything?"
"Even if I had to sell my soul to the devil to gain what I need, then so be it. Just as long as I have power."
The kunoichi shook her head left to right slowly, large sea green eyes holding their gaze. She took a few steps back in stumbles.
"I won't let you get away this time."
"What are you going to do? Scream?" he taunted coldly with a glare.
He vanished instantly from her sight, only to come back into view behind her. Instantly, the kunoichi whipped 180 degrees upon feeling his presence behind her. Emerald eyes clashed with his penetrating onyx stare, eyeing his arm rise as his pointer and middle fingers lightly stroked the smooth, porcelain skin of her neck, lingering dangerously close to her vital point. She saw his eyes flash with an unreadable expression.
"Thank you, Sakura," he murmured, pushing his fingers into her skin.
But before he could complete his action, a hand gripped his wrist with the speed of a blink of an eye. He soon found their positions reversed, Sakura now holding her index and middle fingers pressed against his own pressure point.
"Not this time," she whispered. "I'm not letting you go so easily."