DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO.
Follow me.
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-&-
...
...
(thump. thump. thump.)
...
...
We come.
We see.
We reach.
We chase.
What are these dreams of ours?
...
(bang. bang. bang.)
...
...
Cherish the moments we have together,
for death's grip is stronger than us.
Trust in the life we have,
for our trust is what binds us together.
...
Put your faith in my knowledge.
...
...
Breath. Breath. BREATH!
...
Play tactfully,
skillfully,
but most of all,
think ahead.
...
...
(bang. bang. bang.)
...
&puncture ourselves;
...
(drip. drip. drip.)
...
She is lost in the sea of blood, staring death straight-on.
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-&-
...
"Chase the morning."
"U-Ugly?" Sakura gaped in horror at the boy smiling before her. "I...I don't even know you, and...you're insulting me? You... You metrosexual creep!"
He feigned hurt and continued to make his way up to her. "Almost as ugly as your mentor. Time has caught up with you Sakura—tsk, tsk." He shook his head a few times, emphasizing his disappointment in her. Raising a hand, he brushed a strand of pink locks behind her right ear. Sakura cowered at his cold touch, he reminded her of—
"I've missed you, hag." He muttered under his breath, the words emptying into the cool breeze that passed by. Knowing Sakura didn't hear him, he sighed and continued, "I had gotten news of your return and had come to see for myself."
Sakura bit her lip, confused. "How do people know that I'm here?" Sakura asked with an obvious bewildered expression.
He shrugged. "Word travels fast in such small villages." He said simply, facing the way he entered. He smiled at her, forcing Sakura into a greater state of confusion. "My name is Sai..." He whispered softly, the smile on his face contrasted his tone drastically. "...and I'm here to give you this."
He handed her a small scroll and met her eyes.
"Don't open it when there are others around."
—Sasuke.
Sakura opened her mouth to protest, ask when she would know, but Sai shook his head.
He smiled at her and waved. "I don't know what's on it either, I'm merely the deliverer."
A strong gust of wind flurried the petals that surrounded her and an abyss of midnight black ink obscured her vision.
"Wait...—Sai!" Sakura screamed in annoyance.
He was gone.
...
...
...
His feet skim the lake's surface, slowly dipping further and further into the water's blackening depths. He looks up to the moon eying the single cloud that loiters by. A scowl appears on his worn face and he takes another breath.
"For I could offer you everything—"
His silhouette is no longer seen, but the splashing of water is all that is heard.
"—except love."
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...
31.
"Bastard!" Naruto screamed in anguish as he averted his eyes to the ground. "Don't use your genjutsu!" Naruto pouted and began forming multiple hand seals. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Twenty clones of the blond-haired boy spontaneously generated in a straight line. "Take this, Sasuke!"
Said boy rolled his eyes and scoffed at Naruto. "The last thing I need is for your idiocy to be multiplied." He growled under his breath, pure aggravation at the idea of having to destroy another twenty clones. "Don't you have any other moves?" Sasuke asked while dodging another punch.
"Yeah right, jackass, I have easily another one-bajillion up my sleeve!" Naruto grinned with satisfaction at his assumed number.
Sasuke scowled. "You're such a moron—Katon: Gōkakyu no Jutsu!" A streaming line of fire began spraying from the Uchiha's mouth, forming into a large ball of flames.
Naruto disappeared from sight.
Glaring, Sasuke began scanning his current surroundings with his activated sharingan. Any sudden movement and Naruto would be pinned to his tiniest hair. When Sasuke didn't sense any movement, he jumped up and began gathering chakra to his fists. Facing his head towards the blood-contaminated dirt, he threw out his fist and readied himself for an impact.
He released all his chakra when he saw a sudden outburst of orange flurry his vision. Sasuke inwardly cursed for having taken the chance of being possibly fooled with such a—
"SENNEN GOROSHI!"
—rookie move.
The Uchiha snorted and placed a hand over the attacking clone, sending him directly to the dirt. "Give up yet, moron?"
"I'll never lose to you, asshole." Naruto yelled, twitching when he saw all of his clones beginning to, once again, disappear. Grinning sheepishly and scratching the back of his head, he laughed, "But, I'm starting to get kinda hungry."
Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment, pondering on what he should do. He decided to reduce the use of his chakra by revealing a pair of obsidian orbs. He scoffed, "Whatever, moron."
"Moron?" Naruto twitched in fury.
"Deaf and dumb." Sasuke corrected himself, a smirk plastered onto his fine, thin lips. He turned around and sighed, watching the gaping Naruto with apathetic eyes. "Shut up and stop making me wait for you."
Naruto screamed in rage, but quickly sped to the Uchiha's side.
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...
The lightning flashes across the sky, illuminating the heavens above.
She dips the tips of her fingers into the cage's open gaps and reaches to touch the frightened animal. It was almost as though it were chained to the section it stood, for it moved not once.
"We're all bleeding—"
She frowns, disheartened.
"—for a lost freedom."
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...
32.
She sighed and closed her eyes, the music of the waves crashing against each other lulling her into a serene state. Her fingers continued to fumble over the small string that bound the scroll together. Pursing her lips together, she scrunched her nose and her eyes shot open.
She growled in frustration—when, where, why?
How was she supposed to know what to do with the scroll, why should she even trust that strange boy?
Sakura kicked at the gravel that decorated the pathway and laughed. "People are so silly these days." She muttered as she continued to march down the man-made path that lead towards the ocean.
Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi, and even Tsunade had been watching her non-stop since they had arrived. It's not like she was completely helpless, less needed them. She had been doing perfectly fine before. All she ever had to do was listen to her orders and comply. Where she was, she was content—she would complete her task and she would be rewarded.
The pink-headed girl began stripping her clothes. Slowly, she took off her boots, skirt covering, black shorts, shirt, and her gloves, neatly laying each garment aside on the large rock beside her. She shivered a moment when she realized how the wind picked up. She contemplated whether or not to leave on her bindings and under-shorts.
Sakura let her right foot graze the top layer of the ocean's water before deciding she'd leave them on.
(Initializing sequence . . . ACTIVATED.)
BRAVE
—
NEW
—
WORLD
Sakura blinked. "H-Huh?"
Nothing happened.
Shrugging off the small, robotic voice in her ears, she dove into the frigid water. Her cheeks puffed out as she held her breath under the water. She managed to give a small smile at a school of fish, before swimming after them. All the while, ignoring the small buzzing in her ear and the opaquing of her vision.
"No. 1178, disclaim your whereabouts."
Sakura choked with surprise and shot her head out from under the water. It was in her brain, her ear, telling her to state her location. "W-What?" Sakura asked, her head tilting with confusion. She looked behind her, horrified when realization hit her. She had swum further than she anticipated. She could barely see the land, less where she originated from.
"Repeat: No. 1178, disclaim your whereabouts."
Sakura's breath hitched. "I apologize, but Sasuke-kun told me I'm not allowed to specify that information." She stated diligently, her feet and arms continuing to pump up and down, keeping her afloat.
"Sakura...—" A voice drawled, her ears filled with his velvet tone. "... I am Sasuke's brother. It's OK to tell me."
(Breathing . . . . CHECK! Vital signs . . . . CHECK! Memory . . . . —Processing— ERROR. Slight, to minimal retrieval.)
"I... I don't know where I am." Sakura said in a confused tone. "I'm swimming...with fish and water and...—and I'm alone." Sakura mumbled in realization. "C-Can you bring me back to Sasuke-kun?"
There was no reply.
Her breath hitched and she bit her lip. "I'm...alone."
Sakura watched curiously as hundreds of black birds above her melded with the sky, forming a requiem of her dreams.
...
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...
He kicks his foot against the fallen, crumbled wall, watching the chunks of snow fly with each of his thrown kicks.
Maybe it was all in the script—
maybe, maybe, maybe.
But, he will sit here and curse himself everyday for the next four years, contemplating—
why, why, why?
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33.
Emerald orbs blinked open and in an instance she became utterly confused. She was still floating in the water, which partially confused her—she could have sworn she blacked out. So how was she floating?
(Target pulse rate . . . . 142.)
The most confusing part was that she heard a splashing noise coming from behind her.
(Target blood pressure . . . . 140/120.)
If she had the energy left, she would have probably turned around to see what was coming towards her. Sakura began to panic and her body froze with fear, what if it was a shark or...or—!
She felt a vice-like grip wrap around her waist and she let out a gasp of horror. Her strength finally came back, adrenaline surging through her veins, and she began struggling. Her head tilted up, trying her best to avoid gulping in any of the salty water and she that's when she noticed the sky.
(Chance of target engaging in— . . . . 92.68%)
The sky was the blackest black she had ever seen, darker than Sasuke's eyes, but the strangest part was the red moon.
"Sakura," the voice was that velvet tone she heard in her ears earlier, "trust me."
And she thought of Sasuke.
("Trust me.")
And she calmed down.
And her body went limp against his muscular one in an awkward position.
And her eyes fell to a close while a strange euphoric feeling surged throughout her entire body.
(Chance of target engaging in deceit . . . . 92.68%)
Jump with me. QUICKLY!
(bang. bang. bang.)
Her hand's grip on his tightens, she is scared of their fate.
(pant. pant...—BANG!)
She jumps over the ledge, away from the corrupting world, but he tugs her from her fate.
... ... ...
(THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!)
jump—
(splatter.)
"Your fate is with me."
(END OF TRANSMISSION)
—with me.
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...
-
Her body was weak and the room was completely dark. Sakura could feel warmth dripping down her forehead. She scrunched her nose in distaste of the feeling as she tried to move. Someone grabbed her shoulder, keeping her down.
"I need to talk to you." The voice was a monotonous tone.
Sakura opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Her tongue darted out of her parted lips, trying it's best to get rid of their chapped feeling. She took another deep breath, but instead of breathing out, it was a raspy cough.
"You took in a lot of salt water, Sakura." A hand was against her cheek, the way it held her head was almost intimate. "I can't protect you, if you're trying to kill yourself." Almost.
"I...—I'm sorry." She coughed again, a cool glass of water was pressed against her lips. She greedily swallowed down the clear liquid with ease.
"Hn."
It was the only reply she received, before the room went to a dead silence.
She took the moment to realize a few things. One, the person that was sitting beside her was Sasuke—she could tell by the response, the tone, and the touch. Secondly, the ground was moving back and forth—was she crazy or did Sasuke notice it too. Lastly, Naruto and Kakashi weren't there—she would have heard them if they were.
"Sasuke-kun..?" She asked, wondering—hoping—he was still there.
A loud sigh permeated the small room and then a grunt. "Hn?"
"Where is Naruto and Kakashi?" Her tone was curious and filled with trepidation. Did something happen—?
Sasuke must have somehow noticed that she was beginning to worry about the whereabouts of their other teammates, because he simply said, "They're sleeping. It's probably 2 a.m."
"Oh..."
She heard the shuffling of feet. Sakura blinked a few times, trying her best to envision the silhouette of the boy, the most she could get was the outline of his torso. Sasuke was apparently sitting down and leaning against a wall beside her.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" Sakura asked.
He didn't say anything and Sakura could only wonder why not.
The silence was growing unbearable and Sakura couldn't understand why it was so hot either. "Sasuke-kun, it's warm in here."
"It's actually cold." Sasuke corrected her under his breath. He was startled when he noticed her shuffling around. "Sakura, calm down, you just have a fever." He said softly, the last thing he needed her to do was freak out about being warm.
"Fever?"
He scoffed. "Tch, idiot. You got it from swimming in cold water and sleeping on the ground. Even the moron isn't that stupid."
When he noticed that her shuffling didn't seize, he stood up and began walking towards her. He needed her to calm down; otherwise she'd probably only further her sickness. He felt a fabricated material brush against his forearm. He raised a brow, puzzled by what it was.
"It's so hot!" Sakura cried, standing up.
Sasuke sighed, his hand reaching out to her. "I don't care." He stated dryly. It was her fault anyways that she got sick, why should he feel sympathetic for her idiocy?
"Sasuke-kun, I'm serious." Sakura whined, dodging his hand.
He growled at her obdurateness. "So am I." His hand finally gave way, gripping her by her waist and pulling her into his body.
"Why are you so cold?" Sakura asked.
She hated it. They were always so different, almost completely opposite. She was burning up and, here he was, ice cold. She was compassionate and he was close to being completely apathetic.
"Because it's cold out—!" Sasuke stiffened at the feeling of her body pressed up against his. "Are you wearing a shirt?"
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...
...
The ribbon falls gracelessly to the ground causing her hair to make it's way back to her face. She sighs and opens her wardrobe, her hopes high—maybe there is finally a reason to dress up.
And once she slips on that snow-white dress and places the veil atop her head, she walks back to the bathroom and stares at the mirror before her.
Then, holding a vociferous glare, her make-up will smear and her heart will shatter.
She walks back to the toilet and, once again, forgets her hopes.
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34.
Sakura shook her head. "It's too warm."
"Y-You... Are you completely stupid?!" Sasuke hissed.
("I swear, sometimes I wonder if you are stupider than the moron.")
Sakura blinked perplexed. There was a voice in the back of her head that was scolding her and the tone resembled that of Sasuke, but Sasuke's voice was deeper. Her hands wrapped around Sasuke's neck and she buried her head into his chest.
Sakura noticed the feeling of his muscles rippling under her body. "Your not wearing a shirt either." She declared.
"You were wearing my shirt."
His body was tightening, she could feel it. She released one of her hands from their lock and ran it down his chest. "Why are you always so scared of me?" Sakura scrutinized. "Your body tenses every time I touch you."
He didn't reply.
Sakura could feel his black bangs tickling her cheek. She didn't actually notice how close his face was to her until now. She could feel his cold breath slowly playing against her warm skin, the extreme temperature difference caused her to shiver.
She squeaked when his body went slack and pushed hers against the wall in one swift motion. Surprised and bewildered, she was caught off guard when she felt Sasuke's hands trailing up and down her sides, running through her pink locks, and pulling her—if it was possible—closer to him.
The way he savagely kissed her, the way he sensually touched her, and the way he held so desperately on to her, made Sakura wonder—
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...
He presses his hat atop of her head, and smiles into it's black velvet, in a way which no one else can see it.
She grips onto his body, never wanting to let go—
It's the whisper into that cloth that makes her heart skip a beat.
"Abracadabra."
And the chance of living in a world of fantasy, one with him, disappeared forever.
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35.
—just how much he needed her.
A/N: This story has total swagger. :B
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Shadow Clone Technique
Katon: Gōkakyu no Jutsu - Fire Style: Fireball Technique
Sennen Goroshi - One Thousand Years of Death
Reviews make me write. (:
EWHH its Kenna