Epilogue: The Divine Wings of Tragedy
AN: Well, this officially closes the door on this little saga. Please read the endnotes for some important information. Revised as of 2/23/10. Song lyrics shamelessly borrowed from "The Divine Wings of Tragedy" by Symphony X.
Naruto lingered one moment, watching to make doubly sure that his friends had safely made their escape, before throwing himself headlong into the melee. This would be his last stand. Whatever happened now simply did not matter; he'd already ensured that the people who were most precious to him were safe.
But he couldn't rest easy just yet. He'd have to hold them off as long as possible. His gut told him that this whole gambit was an impossible and futile exercise. But if he could not accomplish the impossible, he'd be faced with the unthinkable. He kept the sorrowful image of Sakura dying in his arms fresh in his mind just in case he needed any more motivation to fight on.
Surrounded, outnumbered and outmatched—what a way to end. Darting nimbly through the clearing, he refused to let anyone get past him. Each enemy he caught met a messy end by his Rasengan before he turned to the next. Soon the enemy began to close in on him, surrounding him at close range and lancing at his flesh with katana and kunai.
Parry, dodge, riposte; these became the three beats of his final dance with fate. The enemy was completely unrelenting. No matter how many casualties they took, no matter how many of their comrades they saw diced up before their eyes, they continued their attack. They wouldn't allow Naruto a single opening to prepare a more powerful counter. It was brutal and bloody, but ultimately the best strategy. Their blades began tearing into Naruto's flesh one by one.
There was just no way that he could block every one of their strikes. Between dodging long range sound attacks and close range sword strikes, he was simply spread too far, too thin. He'd see this through to the end, though. Everyone was counting on him. "I can't give up. Not now, not ever!" became his mantra, repeated over and over as he struggled on.
The final blow struck him straight through the heart. The icy blade of the katana plunged through his chest and red beating heart. He fell to his knees, gasping in pain, as the enemy continued to rend his flesh, making doubly sure that Naruto never got back up again. The agony was indescribable at first, but as he collapsed face-first onto the cold earth the pain began to dull, receding back from whence it came.
"So this is what death feels like…" he thought, "strangely different from what I'd imagined. It's sort of peaceful, actually. Sure, the pain is kind of annoying, and the cold dirt leaves much to be desired, but it really isn't all that bad." His thoughts began to wander as his assailants collected their wounded, and made the difficult decision to continue pursuit.
His thoughts came to Sasuke and Sakura. "At least they're safe. That's all that really matters." A chain of memories, all of their shared triumphs and tragedies, came rushing forth. "They were my life; everything before we met just doesn't matter." And though he'd never become Hokage, and would never be able to right the wrongs of the Hyuuga clan or continue to protect the villagers of Konoha, Naruto was satisfied that he had managed to keep the one promise that mattered the most. "I saved Sasuke…no, wait, we saved him together. And I made sure they'd make it home safe. Still, there is so much I would have liked to have said. I never got to tell Sasuke how much I missed him, or really show Sakura-chan how much I loved her. We didn't get to spend enough time together."
His body began to feel cold, and the pain completely ceased. The skin of his body felt as though it was wrapped with black velvet. The blackness took him, before fading into nothingness.
Six weeks later…
Once again, Uchiha Sasuke found himself in shackles before a tribunal. This time, though, the court room was bright and well lit, and Sasuke had no doubt of his own guilt. The most important of the council Elders sat before him on a raised bench, staring him down with eyes of icy contempt.
Sai, Sakura and Kakashi had dutifully come to his trial every day, trying to give Sasuke some sort of silent support. He'd been in solitary confinement for most of the past two months since his "rescue". The proceedings were fairly arcane, and he couldn't remember anything from them. The past weeks had all been a blur that he had tried desperately to forget.
The First Among Elders spoke, his authoritative and stern air filling the room with ice: "As you know, Uchiha Sasuke, you stand here accused of the most serious of crimes: treason and desertion from the armed forces. Let me be completely clear about this, Uchiha: your clan's privileged position in Konoha will not save you from retribution."
Sasuke nodded silently.
"As you well know," the Elder continued, "treason and desertion both carry the maximum penalty of life imprisonment. However, due to extenuating circumstances, as well as the Fifth Hokage's personal voucher for your future obedience to the laws of Konoha, the Council has decided to dismiss the charges of treason and desertion, and instead find you guilty of the lesser crime of sedition."
To say that this was a shock would be an understatement. To say it was unwelcome was even more of an understatement. Sasuke knew in his heart that he deserved neither pity nor mercy. It was his actions that had resulted in the death of his best friend, and the indescribable sorrow that he had caused to all those who were once close to him. He wanted to be punished, perhaps that might help ease his guilty conscience.
The commotion in the court room became quite disruptive. Everyone had expected a speedy conviction and sentencing. Meanwhile, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. At least Sasuke was safe from that fate. Sai sat impassive, not really knowing what to think about this whole situation. At the very least, there wasn't another tragedy added to this ever growing list.
The Elder smashed a gavel onto the table, silencing the court room. There were quite a few disappointed people out in the crowd. "We have decided to sentence you to one year of supervised probation. The conditions of your probation will require you to fulfill all the normal duties of a Konoha shinobi, but you will not be allowed to leave the village. In addition, the Council had decided, as punishment for your actions, the Uchiha estate shall be seized and liquidated, and your clan divested from its seat on the Council."
The commotion continued, this time much more hushed. The hawks had been satisfied with their pound of flesh now. "Let us make ourselves perfectly clear," the Elder scolded, "the Hokage might have enough trust you enough to let you run free, and while we recognize what a potent asset your martial skills will make for Konoha, we do not condone your actions, and will not show you any leniency in the future. You are dismissed, Uchiha."
The bailiff released Sasuke from his shackles, and motioned for Sasuke to leave the court room. As he left, he took great care to avert his eyes from Sakura. He couldn't show his face to her. If there was anyone who had the right to hate him, despise him and want him dead, it was her.
Sakura smiled meekly at him, hoping to get his attention. He walked right past her and Kakashi, without even saying a word or noticing their presence. A single tear ran down her cheek. Even though Naruto had made the ultimate sacrifice to save them, Team Seven might as well have died on that field. They were broken into a thousand tiny pieces now. Once again, she wondered if it would have been for the best to have died with Naruto.
She too left the court room, paying no attention to Kakashi. She needed to be alone right now. In complete silence, she walked to the Cenotaph. Naruto's name had been freshly carved into the monument's basalt face. Sakura found herself visiting the Cenotaph more often as the days went on after the tragedy. It was the one place where she could find some small measure of peace, and hope that all of the words that she had left unsaid to Naruto in life might reach him in death.
Kakashi had tried to follow after her, but Sai grabbed his shoulder, shaking his head as Kakashi turned to him. "Kakashi-senpai, I think Sakura needs some time alone right now. Besides, you were supposed to meet your new Genin team almost half an hour ago.
Kakashi sighed in frustration, knowing full well that Sai was right. For all of his emotional stunting, he was a perceptive young lad, and happened to have a different, perhaps clearer perspective on the issues of human emotions. "I should have never have agreed to take on a new team before we left on the mission. I really don't know if I can handle it right now," he muttered.
"I'm sure you'll be able to handle it. We'll meet up later for some ramen and talk. Right now, just take it one step at a time, senpai."
Kakashi nodded, and set off towards the Academy. At least he had a damn good reason for being late this time.
Sakura had been sitting in front of the Cenotaph for about an hour now. For the most part, she had spent that hour in silence, but every once in a while she'd mutter something out loud as though Naruto was still among the living, sitting right next to her. She missed everything about him so much. She would have given anything just to be annoyed by him once more.
But from now on, he'd be only a memory and a name carved in basalt. There would be no monuments to her hero. The Kyuubi container would soon be happily forgotten by the village, and only remembered by his friends. It wasn't the ending that he deserved, and Sakura blamed herself for it.
Her thoughts kept going back to that fateful day when Naruto had set out the first time to bring Sasuke back. The promise he had made would haunt her for the rest of her life. In her mind, she had selfishly manipulated Naruto to get Sasuke back. The fact that Naruto wanted his friend back as much as she did was lost on her. Naruto's promise of a lifetime had cost him his life. She was confused and upset, unable to figure out what was up and what was down.
Sure, she was glad to see Sasuke back safely in Konoha. But it had come at an unbearable price. She would have to live with this for the rest of her days.
Sakura heard a soothing, familiar voice behind her. "I thought I'd find you here, Sakura."
"Ino? What are you doing here?"
"I came to bring Naruto some flowers," Ino replied as she sat down next to Sakura. "I figured that was the very least I could do after this debacle. And besides, you need some company."
Sakura turned to the blond haired woman, her lip trembling with trepidation. Ino carefully set down the small bouquet of flowers, and without warning pulled her pink-haired friend close, hugging her tightly. In spite of all of their past animosity and petty rivalries, Ino knew that right now was the time that Sakura needed her the most. The demons of their past would just have to take a number and wait.
"Oh Ino," Sakura sobbed into her shoulder, "It's my fault that he's dead! My selfishness got Naruto killed!"
"It's okay, Sakura, I'm here for you now," the blond kunoichi whispered, "I know you need a good cry, but you can't blame yourself for his death. Naruto wouldn't want you to go on like this. He wouldn't blame you, and you shouldn't blame yourself either."
Ino held Sakura close until her sobbing stopped, and the sun began to retreat from the sky. Ino vowed that she would be there to comfort her friend from now on, the past be damned. Sakura needed a friend now most of all. "Oh honey," Ino soothed, "No one is to blame for what happened. As much as I want to hate Sasuke for what happened, I can't. He's suffering as much as you from this, in his own silent way. You should talk to him."
"We haven't spoken since the night that Naruto... he must blame me for all of this. I can't help but think he's right too."
Ino sighed. Her friend was going to be a basket case for some time now. "Well, I really don't think that's the case. Either way you have to talk to him. Do it for Naruto, if nothing else."
Sasuke was alone, in the fullest sense of the word. A pariah among the Villagers, hated and feared even by his friends. And he couldn't blame them for any of it. He was a monster who had betrayed the only people in the world who had cared about him. He'd disappointed his teacher, shamed his family name, and earned the hatred of the one person left alive who had loved him the most. He couldn't blame Sakura if she never forgave him for what happened.
Sasuke lay alone in the tiny cramped apartment provided for him. He stared at the ceiling, unable to summon the will to do anything but lay there. Nothing he could do seemed to make the guilt go away. Haggard from the lack of sleep, he rolled over onto his side and tried to drift off. The nightmares would come again, but right now, it seemed to be the appropriate self-flagellation.
But it wasn't working. He was too tired to sleep. He groaned as he sat up on the edge of his bed. Running his fingers through his hair, he sighed, "Naruto, you were right. You were right about everything."
Sasuke heard a knock at his door. "Who the hell could that be?" he muttered before shuffling to the door. He opened the door, and tried to place the name to the face of the Hyuuga girl standing outside his door. Then she punched him square in the jaw. Caught completely off guard, he crumpled to the floor. He looked up at her, slightly shocked, and could easily tell she was pissed. Finally the light bulb went on: "Ah, Hinata: the Hyuuga girl who had the thing for Naruto...this is completely out of character for her, isn't it?"
She scowled at him as he pulled himself up from the floor. "Hinata, wasn't it?" he asked but didn't wait for confirmation before continuing. "I am so sorry...for everything. And I know that nothing I can ever do well ever make things right, or take away the pain you must be feeling."
Hinata was shocked. Since when had Sasuke looked, acted or sounded so...so...pathetic? She wanted to hate him for what he had done, for all the pain he had caused, and the lives he had destroyed. She wanted to tear him limb from limb for Naruto's death. But seeing him like this, so broken and utterly defeated, she just couldn't hate him. And that pissed her off even more. She sighed once, and then clocked him in the face again before storming off.
Sasuke fell into one of his dressers, knocking most of the clutter off the top. A picture frame had landed squarely on his chest. Sasuke pulled it up, and stared at the photograph it contained. It was the group photo, taken all those years ago. Those days would never come again, and he felt the yearning in his heart for his lost friend. And he cried.
Looking out on a blue sky
I can see a new world arising
Like a prisoner unbound
I feel the power and the majesty
again
Looking up to the heavens
I can see what I left behind
Beneath the stars, moon and
warm sun
And all I know,
is my paradise has begun ...
Endnotes: As you may well realize, this story is spectacularly incomplete. It leaves more questions than answers, and provides very little real closure for the participants involved in the tragedy.
It may surprise you to know that this fic should have never been. When I set out into the world of Naruto fanfiction, I had no intention of writing this story. This was all intended to be back story for another fic I was writing, which is titled "Runes to My Memory". It has languished in incompletion on for some time now.
I had originally planned to cover the key events of this plot with flashbacks and character conversation in Runes, but as I set about the task to plan that out, it became quickly apparent that such a method could not adequately tell the tale. So, Prisoners of Fate was born. I have now begun the process of revising Runes to My Memory, and will begin the process of posting it on .
I'd encourage everyone who enjoyed this fic to go check out its sequel. Chapter 1 will already be up by the time of this posting.
In all, for a story that I never planned to write, I fairly satisfied with Prisoners of Fate. The six-month long journey of writing this fic, and reading all of the positive feedback from my readers has been quite a treasure. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed and read this fic; your comments gave me the strength to carry this story through to its conclusion. So I bid you adieu for now.