Phantasmagoria
Chapter Five
Rescues are essential to any good story. They can be rescues from dragons, or they can be rescued from inner demons, but whatever the danger, it links the savior and the saved in a way nothing else can.
From the beginning, I didn't need someone to save me. When I was a kid, I did – I was bullied and lonely, and I met Ino, then Naruto. They were my best friends, always had been, and when I met Kiba and Sasuke, I had nothing to be rescued from.
But Naruto, I had a feeling, needed rescuing. Call it intuition, call it paranoia, whatever. Point is, I saw Naruto's name flashing on the screen of my cell phone, and I didn't even think.
I just ran.
I didn't even answer the phone. I didn't even say a word to Sasuke. I could hear him calling after me, and then, when it was clear I wasn't going to stop, his footfalls as he chased after me. The cool night air bit into my skin, and the trees lining the sidewalk cast creepy shadows, but I didn't stop.
Naruto was in trouble, and nothing else mattered now.
-x-
In the end, it was Sasuke that found him, and that was when I first decided I was grateful to have him on my side.
I had been squeezing my way through the throngs of partygoers, shouting myself hoarse trying to ask if anyone had heard Naruto over the pounding music. No one who heard me had, and he wasn't answering his phone. I hated myself for not picking up earlier.
I went around, opening doors, trying to find him. He couldn't have gotten far, right? He had to be safe, right? He was at a party, there were people around – Hinata! Hinata had to have seen him.
But she hadn't. She hadn't seen him all night, she told me. And that was when I really started to get worried.
Lucky for me, Sasuke was there.
He took me by the elbow and led me away from Hinata and the crowd around us – smart choice, since I was freaking out by then and I didn't want her to worry. But still—
"He went in to see her, right? He said that. He said he was going to go say hi too Hinata. Where is he now?" I bit my lip when Sasuke didn't reply, only lifted his gaze to meet mine, as if to say I should know the answer. "You think it was Kiba?" I asked, my gut twisting at the thought. I didn't know why I was so scared of his answer. Hadn't I run off, thinking the same thing? That Naruto had to be in trouble – because of Kiba?
I really hoped that Naruto was okay. I couldn't bear to think what I'd do if he wasn't. Naruto was one of the most important people in the world to me.
And Kiba… Kiba was another. I hoped against hope that Sasuke's words were wrong. Or that they at least didn't mean as much as I thought they did.
But… but what had Sasuke really meant by Kiba being a source of negative energy? More importantly, what had he meant by me being the focus of that negative energy? It was all too much to take in, and the possible implications were just too scary.
Maybe Sasuke recognized that disorientation in my expression, because he sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and said, "I can find him."
He closed his eyes for a moment, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, and I studied the smooth, hard planes of his face. Pale skin, dark hair, sharp features – he really was attractive. If I had gotten to know him under any other circumstances, I would've fallen for him. Even if he had been hideous, he was a Wishmaker. Sasuke was fascinating to me.
And as I watched him concentrate, I felt my thudding heartbeat slow. Because the Wishmaker was here. And more than anything, I believed in Wishmakers.
He opened his eyes and looked straight at me, not looking very surprised to see me watching him so intently. I burned red, of course, but he just said, "Come on," and turned towards the back of the house. He led me through the packed, noisy hall to the kitchen. It was quieter in there, with only a few people now, but I didn't see where Naruto could be. Then I saw that Sasuke hadn't stopped, and was heading for the glass doors leading out to the backyard.
He opened the door and walked out, not even waiting to see if I was following.
I didn't even hesitate.
-x-
You know, looking at my story now, I realize there is a lot that is just impossible to believe. If I hadn't lived it, I would be doubtful, too. Probably. Like I said, I've always believed in Wishmakers.
My dad is your typical big businessman. He's CEO of his company, Akatsuki, and he's… not really a good dad. Never was. Too distant, too busy for me. Which is okay, because I always at least knew he cared. My dad and I have always been a lot alike. Even though he did a lot of underground deals that I wasn't supposed to know about (and believe me, how I always wished I didn't), it was my mom that scared me. My mother, the exotic beauty, that always told me to eat my vegetables and expected – not even demanded – the highest grades. It wasn't even that she was strict – all parents are strict. She was just never affected by anything. Not when I failed a test, not when I got into the top med school in the country, not even when she found me drunk and slobbering on the floor of the bathroom when I was sixteen. Nothing fazed my mother. Except one thing.
She was a fanatic for Wishmakers.
She had never met one, until I introduced her to Sasuke, a few years later. Her grandmother had told her stories about them since her childhood, and my mother had passed them along to me. When she discussed Wishmakers, she smiled. Her eyes sparkled. And she looked happier than she ever did. Seeing her believe made me want to believe. And maybe, because I believed, I found Sasuke.
Maybe, because of my mother's stories, I found a person to save me.
Because remember how I said that I had nothing to be rescued from? It turns out I did. Sasuke and I formed our own bond one day, when he saved me from the person I loved most in the world.
-x-
Somehow, it seemed even colder out when I stepped into the backyard behind Sasuke. Maybe it was because it had been so warm inside, with all the people dancing so closely together. Maybe it really was colder. Maybe it was something else.
I slid the glass door closed behind me and turned to see Sasuke staring at me, one eyebrow raised thoughtfully.
"What?"
Sasuke's gaze swept over my bare arms, and then he began to shrug out of his jacket.
"Wha—" I began as he peeled it off. He tossed the jacket to me, and I caught it, baffled, because I'm extremely stupid.
"You look cold," he said, turning away again. "Wear it."
I looked down at the black leather (of course) jacket in my hands. It was surprisingly worn, for Sasuke, who always seemed to be wearing brand-new clothes. I smiled and tugged it on, pulling back the sleeves as I caught up to him. We walked side-by-side in silence, and I wondered where we were going. Where could Naruto be?
Beyond Tenten's backyard, behind the fence, was a long, winding stream of clear water. Further beyond that was a thick wood.
Sasuke noticed me staring at the trees, and shook his head.
"Come on," he said, crossing the yard. There was a shed in the corner of the yard, nestled in a clump of bushes. Tenten's backyard needed some serious management.
I hastened to catch up to him, watching the shed with fearful eyes. What was I going to find in there? What would Naruto tell me?
Only Sasuke didn't open the door of the shed. Instead, he crouched beside the bushes, and my heart leapt into my throat.
I fell to my knees beside Sasuke, and he looked at me for a long moment, then reached out, brushing the bush aside.
Naruto's favorite color is orange, and he wears a lot of it, always has. He used to tell me it was so that people always turned to look at him, wherever he went.
That flash of orange in the dark shadows of the bush was the scariest thing I've ever seen.
"Naruto?" My voice broke, and I reached in to grab that bit of cloth – Naruto's sleeve, I realized – with shaking hands. God, what was happening? This was so surreal. Sasuke reached in to help me, and we eventually pulled Naruto's limp body out of the bushes and laid him on the grass.
His eyes were closed. His face was bruised. He was bleeding – from tiny scrapes, a nasty gash above his left eye, and a sizable cut on his right shin – and one of his wrists wasn't sitting right.
I stared at him for a long moment. Then my face crumpled, and I began to flat-out bawl.
"Sakura," Sasuke hissed, but I covered my ears and squeezed my eyes shut, and continued to wail.
"Naruto…." I sobbed. Sasuke touched my arm, and I heard him saying my name again, louder this time, but I ignored him. Why couldn't he just let me cry? Or, better, comfort me? My Naruto was hurt, and I didn't know how badly. I didn't know what to do. My best friend…
Sasuke yanked my arm down. "Sakura!" he snapped, and I turned to face him, then sucked in a breath and drew back.
His eyes were flashing red.
Sasuke sighed, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were back to normal. Had I imagined that?
"Sakura, shut up. Someone will hear you."
I glared at Sasuke. What the hell.
"Come on, we'll take him to the hospital," Sasuke said. Then he hesitated and looked back at the house.
"We can't leave Kiba here," I said, and Sasuke looked back at me, then nodded once. "Where is he, anyway…?"
I rocked back on my heels, staring up at the house. There was a window right above us, dimly lit, the only one upstairs that was. Every other room was dark, for obvious reasons. My lips curled at the thought, but I didn't take my gaze off the lit window. There was a figure standing by it, presumably looking down at us. The figure shifted, and I could see the spiky hair.
My stomach dropped.
I turned back to Sasuke. "I think I found—What are you doing?" Sasuke was holding his hands above Naruto's wrist, brow furrowed in concentration.
"Healing him," Sasuke said, and moved to start on Naruto's leg. I examined Naruto's wrist. It looked normal. "I can only do a little, but…" Sasuke passed a hand over his eyes. He looked tired, and I felt a stab of sympathy.
"Sasuke… thank you," I said, and Sasuke dropped his hand to look at me. "I'll never be able to thank you enough for doing what you've already done for me." Still he stared, and I smoothed down my hair self-consciously. "Um, I—"
A cough distracted me. "Sakura-chan?"
I whipped around. "Oh my God! Naruto!" He pushed himself up on one elbow, and I launched myself at him before I could remember that I should probably refrain.
To his credit, Naruto hugged me back with one hand and didn't complain. Then I felt the blood on his shirt smudge my chin, and I pulled back, horrified.
"Oh, my God," I said again. "I'm so sorry. Here, lean on me." I helped Naruto into a sitting position, and he leaned against my shoulder, rubbing his aching ribs.
"Thanks," Naruto said. He shifted his gaze to Sasuke. "You, too. I didn't know you cared about me so much."
Sasuke frowned. "I don't," he said, and I wanted to smack him. He nodded at me. "But she does."
Naruto found my hand and squeezed my fingers. "Sakura-chan loves me," he said – a bit hesitantly, and I stared at him for a moment, baffled.
"What happened, Naruto?" I demanded. "Tell me who hurt you so that I can break him. Or her," I added hastily, hopefully. I didn't want to have to choose between Kiba and Naruto, especially knowing who I would choose: Naruto. Always Naruto.
Naruto looked away, and my gut twisted. I didn't even need him to say it.
"I didn't see his face," Naruto said. "He hit me from behind."
"No one else saw?"
Naruto shook his head. "I came out here, and—"
"Why?"
"Why what?"
A hot, angry flush bloomed over my cheeks. "Why did you come out here alone?" I demanded, voice rising. I knew I was being irrational, getting angry with Naruto for no reason, but I didn't care. "Why didn't you go hang out with Hinata or something, like you said you would? No one knew where you were! What if something happ—"
"Ino."
I broke off. "What?"
"Ino," Naruto repeated, looking miserable. "I saw her. With Kiba. I came out to follow them."
I stared.
Oh, God. Not Ino. Not Ino.
I shot to my feet, and Naruto lost his balance before he straightened and looked up at me. "Sakura-chan—"
Sasuke got up and held out a hand to Naruto. "Sakura," he began.
But I was already running.
-x-
Am I just stupid? Looking back over my story, I think maybe I am. The signs were there, but I missed them. I don't know how, but I missed them.
This is what I expected to find in that one lit-up room on the second floor: Kiba, hurting my best friend. Ino's hair stained red with blood. My heart, shattered on the floor.
This is what I found instead: Kiba, standing over my best friend. Ino lying on the bed, hair splayed across the dark pillow, smiling up at the ceiling, giggling to herself like she was high. My heart, shattered on the floor.
Ino noticed me in the doorway first. I say that, but I didn't think there was any way for Kiba to not have known I was there. She saw me and she sat up and beamed at me.
"Sakuraaaa!" she sang, and I raised my eyebrows. She slipped off the bed without even a glance at Kiba and skipped over to me. "Hi!"
I looked past her at Kiba. He was smiling at us, like nothing was wrong.
"Hi." I couldn't smell anything on her, not even the lightest trace of alcohol. "You look happy."
She nodded, bouncing a little on her toes. "Kiba made me happy."
My gut wrenched, and I looked at Kiba again. He looked away. I turned back to Ino, who didn't look the least bit apologetic. And why would she? I had never told her about Kiba and me.
"Sakura," said a voice behind me. Sasuke. I didn't even need to turn to know it was him. It was always him, it seemed.
Ino bounded past me, still giggling excitedly to herself. As I watched, she squeezed Sasuke in a tight hug, and he stiffened, looking shocked. Ino pulled back, smiled at him, and went down the hallway, twirling and dancing all the way to the stairs.
"I'll take you home," Sasuke said to me, still looking disturbed by the hug.
"Sweetheart," Kiba started, and I looked back.
"Sakura," Sasuke said, more insistently this time. I looked at him, then back at Kiba.
Kiba stared at me, waiting.
I turned my back on him and walked out.
-x-
I held Ino's hand as we walked through the crowded house. I felt numb. Nothing was processing. Had Kiba and Ino really-? What was wrong with her now? Why had Kiba done all this? What was I going to do about it?
Ino slowed as we neared the door, and I saw her watching Shikamaru, who had just walked in and was unzipping his jacket. He noticed her staring at him and looked uncomfortable.
I tugged on Ino's hand, not wanting a scene just yet. To my surprise, she let me lead her away from Shikamaru – where we bumped into Lee.
"Hi, Lee," she said brightly, leaned forward, and kissed him.
Lee pulled back immediately, looking at me with shocked – and almost hurt – eyes. Lee had had a crush on me for years, and Ino had, more than once, told him he had no chance.
"Ino!" I hissed, glancing at Shikamaru. He stood gaping, mouth half-open. Had she been trying to make him jealous? "What the hell?"
Ino touched a finger to her lips thoughtfully, then shrugged and said, "Shikamaru kisses better."
Shikamaru looked flat-out floored by now.
"Ino," he said, taking a step forward. "What are—"
"We're leaving," I said hurriedly, because Ino had been looking at Shikamaru like she wanted to kiss him again, too. I grabbed Ino by the wrist and began dragging her out of the house, looking back at Lee. He watched me with big, bemused eyes, and I felt my gut wrench.
"I'm sorry," I said to him. I didn't know what else to add, so I kept walking.
When we reached the car, I saw Naruto sitting in the back seat, eyes closed. He looked worn-out. I glanced at Ino. In her condition, I couldn't let her near Naruto – if she tried to kiss him, he would freak – or Sasuke – I didn't want her trying anything on him while he was driving. I opened the backseat door and said, "Naruto? I need you in the front seat. Please?"
Naruto opened his eyes and stared at me. "Why?"
"Because something's wrong with Ino, and I don't know what."
From the driver's seat, Sasuke turned. "What's wrong with her?"
"Like I just said," I said, frustrated, "I don't know."
Sasuke got out of the car and came around to my side. "Look at me," he said to Ino, and she obliged. Her eyes were wide and happy. Sasuke looked her over, then touched two fingers to her forehead. Again his eyes flashed red, and this time I saw the three spinning black commas, it looked like, around his pupils. What the hell?
Sasuke blinked, eyes black again, and turned to me.
"What's wrong with her?" I whispered.
"Nothing I can't fix," Sasuke said. He pressed his car keys into my palm. "You drive. Naruto, sit up front." I didn't move, just stared at him, and he frowned. "Hurry up."
I swallowed back a lump in my throat – who knew where it had come from? – and got into the car.
-x-
Sasuke did something to Ino, and she fell asleep before we reached campus. I made a quick phone call to a friend I knew didn't attend parties and would be in his room studying. His name was Sai, and he was in most of my classes. We studied together, and he was kind of rude and obnoxious and irritating beyond belief, but I trusted him to help me carry Ino to her room. I gave Naruto my keys, and he and Sasuke went to my room to wait for me.
I hesitated before leaving Ino, but her roommate, Shiho, promised to keep an eye on her and call me if Ino woke up, so I left.
I found Naruto sprawled on my bed, half-asleep, and Sasuke sitting at my desk, looking tired. I noticed Naruto's face looked a bit better, and figured Sasuke had tried to work on him some more.
"Sakura-chan," Naruto said when I entered, struggling to sit up.
"Shh, it's okay," I said, walking over to stand over him. I pushed him back, gently, against the pillows. "Sleep."
"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan, I—"
"You have nothing to be sorry about," I said, turning away from him and kicking off my heels.
"How's your friend?" Sasuke asked.
"Fine, I think. Asleep. Tell me what happened to her." He didn't reply. "Was it Kiba?"
Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and nodded.
I prayed my voice wouldn't shake. "What did he do?" It didn't.
"I told you about positive and negative energy. All Wishmaker power comes down to that. You need a balance," Sasuke explained. "Too much negative energy made Itachi sick. Too much positive energy, in your friend… was no better."
I sat down on the edge of the bed, dropping my head into my hands.
"I don't understand any of this… why would Kiba do this?"
"I don't know," Sasuke said.
I sighed and, without changing into pajamas, crawled under the covers beside Naruto. I didn't care if I looked rude. I couldn't think anymore. Naruto put a big, warm around me, and I fell asleep curled into him.
He fell asleep beside me. When I woke up in the middle of the night, Sasuke was sitting at my desk, head drooping and eyes closed.
I fell back asleep, vaguely wondering where Kiba was…
-x-
The next morning, Ino was still asleep, Naruto and Sasuke were still in my room, and I had snuck away to Naruto and Kiba's shared dorm.
I thumped on the door. No answer. Thumped again. Still nothing.
I sighed and settled down in front of the door to wait.
-x-
Kiba didn't return until the day after.
-x-
The day before I saw Kiba for the last time, I went back to my room and found Sasuke gone, but Naruto lounging on my bed, waiting for me. He looked even better than before. Sasuke again, I thought.
"Sakura-chan," Naruto said, taking my hand in his and staring up at me. I sat down beside him on the edge of the bed, waiting. He seemed to be searching for words.
Finally, Naruto said: "Sasuke told me something, the night of the party."
What now? I thought. "What did he tell you?"
Naruto saw my expression and smiled a little. "Nothing like what he told you. I told you he was telling me about Wishmakers, right? I mean, everything I know, I know from you, and no offense, but you don't know a whole lot about them and—"
"Naruto."
"Right. Sorry." He scratched his nose, stalling, and then said, haltingly: "I'm actually not supposed to tell you this – Sasuke told me not to. Sasuke told me why Wishmakers don't abuse their powers. I mean, they have a lot of it. We always wondered what stopped them, right?" When I nodded, he went on. "For every wish a Wishmaker grants, he has to suffer a year in a kind of purgatory." I could tell Naruto was quoting from Sasuke, but I didn't know how to react.
"After he dies," Naruto continued, more quickly now, as if he wanted to get the words out and done with, "Sasuke will have to suffer for years – one year for every wish. He knows it's coming, and knows that he'll have to face all these unimaginable pains. Like, twisted things, Sakura-chan. stuff we would never even have nightmares of."
I felt sick. Why was Naruto telling me this? Then I thought of the wish Sasuke had granted me – to get Kiba out – and thought I might throw up. I had just added to his suffering. Why had he done it for me? He must have realized – as I was beginning to now – that Itachi wouldn't have trapped Kiba inside that book for no reason, if there was such a heavy penalty for it.
"Sasuke didn't know," Naruto said quietly, as if he had read my mind. I turned to him, uncomprehending, still in a state of sick shock. "He didn't know about the penalty until it was too late, and Kiba was out of the book. But he knows about it now, and this is what I am allowed to tell you." Naruto pulled his hand away, and I leaned in closer, every muscle in my body tensing.
"Sasuke said that he's willing to take the penalty one more time," Naruto said, voice gentle, to soothe the blow of his words. "If you want it, he'll grant you one more wish."
-x-
After Naruto left my room, I sat at my desk and read the journal once, twice, three times. Then I flung it at the wall and went to bed.
-x-
I went to see Ino the next morning. She had a migraine and couldn't remember the party. All things considered, that was probably for the best. I told her to take it easy for the day, and then I left the room. I met Lee outside the Student Centre, where he was fishing through his pockets for a pack of gum.
"Hello, Sakura," he said cautiously when he saw me.
Conversation was awkward for a few minutes. Then I rubbed my eyes.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm… Things have just been weird lately."
Before Lee could forgive me, like he always did, I ran off.
He didn't follow me.
-x-
This is how I found Kiba: on my way to the grocery store, early evening, before class. I was going out to buy myself chocolate and milk the day my life changed. It was even worse than a garage sale.
He was on the other side of an empty street, not moving, not facing me. I ran across to him, not even checking for any oncoming cars.
"Kiba," I began, stepping towards him. The wind tugged at my hair, and I shivered. Dark, angry clouds gathered low in the sky above us. It was going to rain soon. I bit my lip. I didn't want to do this. Not here. Not now. Things had been going so well. What had happened between us?
He didn't turn around, so I spoke again. "Kiba?" I gripped the hem of my skirt and took a deep breath. "Kiba, please talk to me."
"There's nothing to talk about, Sakura."
I shivered at the tone of his voice, but continued forward, still pressing. "Please don't say that. I—"
"I know. You talked to Sasuke." He took in a breath and turned, finally. I faltered at the look in his eyes: agony and fury and terror, all rolled into one. "Why?"
"I…" I swallowed. "He came to me." I hesitated, then plowed on: "To warn me."
"To warn you about me," he said. "Because he thought I would hurt you." When I didn't say anything – what could I say? – he added, "Did you believe him, Sakura? Did you believe I would hurt you?"
"I—"
"Did you think I would hurt you, Sweetheart?" he asked, striding forward so we stood toe to toe. He cupped my face in one rough hand. "The girl I love more than anything? You saved my life, Sakura. I owe you everything. Why would I want to hurt you?"
"You hurt Ino," I whispered.
He took half a step back, then a full one forward. I stayed where I was. "I only cheered her up. Isn't that what you told me to?"
"I didn't mean it like that." I bit my lip. "What about – what about me?"
Kiba stared at me.
"I didn't kiss her. We didn't do anything like that."
It was so wrong, but that made me feel so relieved.
"But what do you care? You've got your Wishmaker."
My eyes widened, and I stared at Kiba, baffled. "Sasuke's just a friend."
"Yeah, a friend who's trying to rip you away from me."
I furrowed my brow. "What do you mean?"
"Come on, Sakura." Kiba took another step towards me. This time, I took an involuntary step back, and he stopped, looking hurt. My gut wrenched. "The guy's brother locked me in a book. What makes you think he doesn't want to do the same?"
"But—" That didn't make any sense. "He freed you."
"Would he free me if he I was as dangerous to you as he's probably been saying?"
I shook my head. I didn't know what to believe anymore.
Kiba took another step forward, and he was suddenly in front of me, hand under my chin, tilting my face up to his.
"I love you, Sakura," he said. "More than anyone in the world. Why would I ever want to hurt you?"
I didn't say anything. What could I say?
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. God, I was a horrible person. How could I doubt Kiba? Yes, Sasuke had told me he was going to hurt me. But so what? I had believed him, simply because he was the Wishmaker. But Wishmakers aren't everything. If Sasuke had said the same thing about Naruto, I would've clocked him.
Why had I been so willing to turn on Kiba?
A lot of things about Kiba worried me: his past was shady, at best. He had been trapped in a book for seven years. He was temperamental. I knew nothing about him. And then there was my attraction to him: an attraction that I couldn't explain – and I'm not Naruto, the dreamer. I believe in magic, but not in fairy tales, and where else does anyone fall in love so easily?
But I believed, at the very least, that he loved me. I could see it in the way he looked at me, with big, sad, imploring brown eyes. I could feel it in the way his grip tightened on my waist and he ducked his head down towards mine. Hell, I could taste it when he kissed me, his lashes brushing my cheek.
I broke away and leaned my head against his chest, winding my arms around his middle. He leaned his cheek against the top of my head, breathing hard.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm so, so sorry. I'm the worst person on the planet, and I love you, and I hate myself and—" I broke off as a drop of something landed on my nose. "…Are you crying?"
"No." He pulled me closer, shielding me. "It's starting to rain."
"Oh. We should probably get inside someplace." Not that I really wanted to move. There was something so nice about being out in the cold, in his warm arms, surrounded by the smell and sounds of the rain.
"Yeah." He didn't sound like he wanted to move, either, but thunder rumbled in the distance, and he sighed, chest rising and falling beneath my cheek. "Let's go."
I pulled back, smiling up at him. Rain spattered on my cheeks and dampened my hair, but I didn't care. And I always cared. But something was more important to me just then.
Kiba wasn't smiling, but he reached out to touch my face, brushing a thumb across my lips. I blushed, and his already intent gaze deepened.
He kissed me again, and I forgot all about the rain, all about Naruto, bruised and broken at home, even about Ino. He was mumbling something against my lips, singers sliding in my wet hair, and only when thunder roared again, closer this time, did I pull back, smiling.
And then I saw his face.
Two things happened then, in quick succession: first, I leapt back, just as Kiba – eyes flashing with bloodlust – swiped for my throat, and stumbled in my panic. And two: before Kiba could try again, a dark-clothed figure jumped in front of me, shielding me. A dark-clothed figure that was becoming more and more familiar to me. A person I would have entrusted my life to, even against my best – or so I thought, then – judgment. A Wishmaker.
Sasuke.
He forced Kiba back somehow – I hadn't seen how – and stepped back, putting distance in between them and taking me with him. He kept me behind him, shielding me from Kiba's gaze.
"What are you doing?" I hissed, curling my fingers around his forearm so tight, I'm sure my nails dug into his skin. But he didn't even flinch. He didn't even seem to notice me.
"Get away from her," Kiba snarled.
Sasuke reached back and clamped a hand around my wrist, keeping me behind him. "So you can rip her to shreds?" Sasuke said. "No."
Kiba's eyes flashed again. "I wouldn't hurt her. If it weren't for you—"
"Me?"
"And your brother—"
Sasuke growled. "Leave my brother out of it, you failure."
I peeked around Sasuke in time to see Kiba leap at him, hands glowing with black energy. Sasuke gathered me up in his arms and leapt, high, as Kiba shot the energy at us. I shrieked – I was scared of heights – and began to panic. There were bound to be people around. They would hurt someone.
But when Sasuke landed, some feet away, and let me go, I couldn't see a soul in sight. Not even with all the commotion we were raising. Had Sasuke done something?
Something Sasuke had said caught my attention. "Failure?" I whispered to him. He glanced at me, eyes widening slightly. He seemed to have forgotten I was there. I didn't see how he could, considering how tightly he was holding onto me.
"You just need to trust me," he said. He spoke the way he always spoke – flat, without emotion. But there was an underlying sense of urgency in his words, and I nodded.
Some girlfriend I was, right? Some human being I was. What was wrong with me, just going along with whatever anyone said? I had a mind of my own, a damn good one, so why wasn't I using it?
Sasuke pulled me closer, holding one hand to the back of my head as he expelled another burst of energy.
A wish… Sasuke had said he would give me another wish. But how could I make one if I didn't know what to wish for? I didn't know anything. Not about Kiba, not about Sasuke. Why was Kiba attacking me, and why was Sasuke protecting me? How had everything gone so wrong because of a simple garage sale?
Sasuke suddenly yelled, and I felt a burst of pain in my arm. I looked down and saw my arm bleeding, the skin melting off.
I stared at Kiba in shock, and he stared back, suddenly stopping. He looked horrified, even as his hands smoked and glowed with dark power.
"Sakura," Kiba started, taking a step toward me, but Sasuke whirled on him.
"Don't," he warned. "Don't touch her."
Kiba shot Sasuke a dirty look – but then his gaze snapped back to me. He glared for a moment, to my confusion, then shook his head and looked anguished again.
"Sakura," he tried again, not moving this time, "I—"
He broke off. Glanced at Sasuke. Looked back at me.
"I'm never going to make you happy," he said roughly. He seemed to be fighting with himself. He curled his hands into tight fists and took a step back, bowing his head. "And I'll never keep you safe."
Then he looked back up at me.
"I don't want that," he said. And then he leapt at me.
In the split-second before Kiba touched me, I saw his eyes widen. Sasuke moved in front of me, I moved out from behind him, Kiba turned toward me. I had only a moment to think, but my lips were already forming the words.
"I wish Kiba was back in the book," I whispered, but somehow Sasuke heard me.
Kiba had just reached me when Sasuke's hands flew up. His lips brushed my cheek, and then there was a puff of smoke, and he was gone.
The pain in my arm suddenly hit me, full-force. My eyes rolled back and my knees gave out under me. I felt Sasuke catch me before I hit the ground.
And then the world went blissfully black.
This is… I don't know. Maybe kind of sudden, but next chapter is the last, and I'm not even calling it a chapter, but an epilogue. So. Sorry, but I've taken so long with updates lately, and I really want to finish this story in 2010, and this is the only way, so… yes. And I know the end seems very choppy. Twas intentional.