The Stars Don't Lie by The singing dawn
Thank you for the lovely reviews, they really made me day! :) The story is currently moving slowly but nevertheless still advancing! Enjoy the story!
突然しゃがみ込んで流した 最後の泪
あなたの気持ち あの夏の匂い
遠雷
Chapter One: Emotions
It snarled and snapped its large jaws at the people. Arching itself, it hissed menacingly and with one big swish, whipped its tail at the two closest shinobis. Their terrified shrieks were heard as they were launched in the air and smashed onto the ground from a shocking height.
Everything was in chaos. The desperate villagers were scrambling to their feet and rushing out of their homes in a hurry. Children clutched at their parents' clothes and tottered after them in bewilderment. The people could sense the unfathomable fear in the air and, they were bent on saving themselves.
The weak were trampled over and there were apprehensive cries in the air as parents realized their children were missing or the children grew aware that they were alone. There was not a single shard of kindness for anyone. The villagers had only a single thought in mind. They had to flee from this horrendously dangerous place. Although guilt was settling in their hearts like lead, they could not afford to halt. Their determination to escape egged them forward.
Yet, amidst all the pandemonium, it grew mightier. Its gargantuan body silhouetted against the faint moonlight that spread onto the area as the few wisps of clouds revealed the concealed pale moon. There was a monstrous snarl from it and with its insanely huge head, it swerved into a group of shinobis that were preparing to launch an attack.
There was a shrill and piercing scream in the air as a girl was thrown backwards and into a large tree. She cringed and spat out blood. It seeped into her purple jacket and formed a tiny pool on the leaf litter. Her eyes rolled over and she lost consciousness. Her comrades rushed to her side immediately and attempted to revive her.
The snake veered sideways and the lone figure settled on its head for the whole time came into full focus. His dark black hair shone in the moonlight and he stood there, surveying the scene that entered his eyes that were strangely coloured red.
The person he had expected to see wasn't there. He grew impatient. Muttering something under his breath, he commanded the monster to attack again. His eyes glittered unnaturally in the moonlight and he stood on the snake, with a dark expression on his countenance.
A glacial pang of fear went through all the shinobis' hearts then. The snake charged towards them mercilessly, tearing at the air between them. Its fangs grew into focus.
Bitter yells.
Blood.
Then, darkness.
Sakura awoke with a start. Her chest was heaving and she could feel her nightwear sticking onto her body. Sweat, she concluded, not blood. She coaxed herself mentally, and felt as frightened as a child in the dark.
Sasuke.
She felt a quiver of unformulated fear run through her, tearing at her mind relentlessly. Grasping her blanket, she took a sharp intake of breath. Those eyes, they were definitely him. The name held her in a vice. She had attempted to forget him and she thought she had succeeded.
She had failed, again. The three years she had put into forgetting him had all gone down the drain.
Why was he there? Were the snake and the shinobis she had dreamt all real? The girl had been Hinata. She was certain. Sakura sat there, quaking like a jelly. Beneath the cold glare of the desolate night, she felt terrified. She didn't know what to do.
A silence hung in the air. The inky night sky had gradually brightened, and the first rays of sunlight streamed in through her window, like a mother extending her arms to embrace her babe.
She was going to do what was right.
"Tsunade sama!"
"NO, did you not hear what I say, Sakura! For the last time, no, I say!"
The hokage's voice was adamant. She was determined not to back down.
"Why," demanded Sakura in a bitter tone. "If medical aid is given immediately then they won't have to die. I've heard about how many of the shinobis there die because of the lack of immediate medical care! Please, let me go. Besides, the dream I had had, it all leads up to the fact that I have to go!"
Her face was flushing red with impatience and she clenched her fists to prevent herself from lashing her anger out on the table.
Tsunade swirled her chair around and gazed out the window momentarily.
"Tsunade sama!"
"When I say no, it means no!" Tsunade roared and she punched onto the table, creating a dent.
There was a pause.
Sakura flashed her emerald eyes at Tsunade. What was wrong? Why wouldn't she allow her to go?
"Is that clear?" The question danced alongside Sakura's ears.
Grudgingly, she murmured a "yes" and bowed vaguely before stomping out of the room.
Placing the fresh flowers into the vase, she stood in the room. She watched as the IV drip trickled uniformly downwards. It was filling up the pack gradually, just like it always does, Sakura perceived. There was the occasional beeping sound of the machine that helped to fill the otherwise silent room with the teeniest bit of sound.
His chest rose evenly. Compared to his return to Konoha last week, he was impeccably clean which Sakura could not help but notice. There was not a slightest hint of the crimson blood that had fully stained her hands. She had taken three days to completely rid herself of the stench. It had taken a longer time than always. The smell of his blood was somehow still lingering in the air.
It had been a whole week since his return. He had been completely unconscious after Sakura had painstakingly healed the serious wound on his abdomen. Looking at his blanched face, she sighed in dismay.
She hated this insensitive idiot.
Walking over to the window, she gazed at the view beyond Konoha that laid before her. To the west, the sky was alit with a myriad of colours that glazed it with a wild sense of cheer. The mountains with their jagged peaks rose from the stretches of greenery like towering giants. It would all have been picturesque if not for the wisps of smoke that was seen spouting from the impenetrable forests.
War, Sakura wondered to herself randomly. What a stupid thing. People are dying. Yet, the sun still sets and rises like it always does.
"Sa-Sakura…"
The voice was weak and transient. Although she would never admit it, his voice set her heart fluttering with the renewed vigour.
The boy was attempting to sit up onto the bed but he flinched with pain and fell onto the bed for support.
"Don't try getting up. You still need plenty of rest." Sakura said, pouring a glass of water from the jug that was placed beside the vase of flowers. She handed the glass to him.
Instead of accepting it, he shoved the glass away. The glass flew out of Sakura's hands and crashed into the white wall. Water drenched the wall and it turned a deeper shade of white.
There was a pregnant silence. The beeping of the machine filled the room once more.
"Why," asked Sai, his hands clenching the blanket firmly. "Why did you save me? I don't deserve to live."
"Sai…" Sakura began, her voice nearly breaking with emotions.
"I was trying to save her. She had re…returned to get her doll. That bastard was going to kill her. She was going to die under that ridiculous amount of kunais. I…I couldn't stand for it…I" There was a loud hacking voice and Sai's face became distorted in pain. "She died…there was that one last kunai, and she died…"
"She just died…I wanted, I so wanted to save her…She had told me that the doll was her world…" He continued mumbling, his eyes tightly shut. "Is this what you would call a loss? It's horridly sharp and it's ripping my guts out."
"Danzo sama was right. Having no emotions is better." His eyes glanced into the ceiling blankly.
Sakura felt a lump in her throat and she could not answer him. She just watched as he gazed vacantly. Those eyes that he had…they reminded her of him. Sasuke... Tears flowed down her cheeks freely. War could change anyone.
"Sai," Sakura said. "Emotions make you human. This is what will make you human. You don't deserve to die…you tried your very best. Please…don't say that. I feel empty when you say that…you remind me of him when you do that…those words…the way you say them…like how indifferent he was when he spoke then…"
"So that's what I am, huh? A substitute for him. I remind you of him, do I? Then," paused Sai, his eyes utterly empty. "Never appear in front of me ever again. You're annoying."
The words hit her like a hammer blow. Never appear in front of me… Am I really so annoying?
"I'm…I'm sorry." With that, Sakura buried her face in her hands and threw open the door. She ran into Shikamaru who was about to enter.
Murmuring a soft apology, she rushed out of the room in tears.
Never appear in front of me…Don't worry, I won't ever again.
The lapis-lazuli sky was a lit with the scattered stars that shone as brightly as candles in a dark room. There were a few wisps of clouds that drifted pass the white moon that glowed wanly, spreading light onto the gates of Konoha.
The shinobi guarding the gate yawned with exhaustion. Guarding the gate for two days straight was really taking a toll on him. How he yearned for a warm bed and some soup to fill his stomach. Sighing, he leaned onto his chair. A gentle sweet fragrance drifted into his nose.
It was a strange sort of smell that made him feel so relaxed. He was gradually pulled into surreal fantasy. His eyelids drooped and before long, he was snoring deeply.
The figure that had stayed hidden behind the pillar of the guardhouse stuffed the tiny blowpipe into her pocket but in her haste, the powder in the packet landed on the floor, scattering itself all over the ground. In her fluster, she was oblivious to it.
Then, after ensuring the coast was clear with furtive glances, she dashed out of the gate and before long; she was feeling the wind caressing her once more.
The wind howled in her ears and she felt a blazing determination in her heart. It was now or never.
Gazing back at her village, she made a silent farewell.
Of all the stars that shone that night, there was one that was illuminated with singular brightness.
To be continued...
The story might only be updated after a couple of weeks so please do have patience. Thank you and please do review!
あたしがほうき星になれたならば、
きっとそばにいてあげるどんな時も
～ほうき星