Previously
They were forever destined to meet, him and her, under the blossoming cherry trees.
Sasuke placed his hand on his side, adding some pressure to the wound. He removed his hand for a second and looked at it. His skin color couldn't even be seen anymore...it was all blood red. His wound was anything but fatal...but it wouldn't stop bleeding.
'Shit...'
He let his body rest against a tree as he slowly slid down to the ground. He wondered for a second what it was that had told him to come to this place.
He seemed to enjoy its scent for the first time as he let his eyes close.
'Reminds me of...'
Chapter 6 – No thanks?
Pant pant.
She looked up towards the sky. In a few hours, the sun would rise. She was tired and out of breath, but continued running anyway. She felt stupid—rushing for probably nothing—but something didn't feel right. The feeling started when she came face to face with the group Tsunade had sent out on a 'mission' to the Sound. The way she had done it was so secretive. Sakura suspected they had a greater mission to accomplish than they let on.
Thinking back to her letter, she remembered that it said that Naruto was always trying to rescue Sasuke. Maybe that was part of their task—to bring him back. Sakura chuckled. A week ago she would have been pleased to hear that her friends caught a missing-nin. And now...she found herself believing that she had to stop them from doing so.
Pant pant.
Sakura couldn't remember anything about Sasuke. She didn't even have the faintest recognition of his presence anywhere in her memories. But she was alright with that. Her letter was enough reason for her to want to help him. She thought that maybe if she were around him more, than she might have the chance of retrieving some of those memories. Whenever she was around him, he felt familiar...but that was all.
Was is really enough? She hoped it would be...
She arrived at the forest of cherry blossoms just as the sun tore through the darkness of the sky. As she walked down the narrow path she couldn't help but to stare at the trees around her. It was really beautiful the way that the sun's rays made the cherry blossoms glow. Instead of pink, they now looked to be a pale white color.
"Sugoi!" She shrieked.
The wind tore through the trees, attempting to pull the unsuspecting cherry blossoms along with it. No matter how hard the blossoms refused though, the wind eventually got to them. They left the comfort of the branches and other fellow blossoms to fly high into the sky. The wind was sometimes cold and unchanging. It would suddenly leave without notice—leaving the cherry blossom to float down towards the ground on its own. But one thing was for certain—it always came back, year after year, without fail. It was sometimes weak...but there.
As Sakura walked deeper into the forest, she felt a presence overcome her. It was a very weak one—so weak in fact that she couldn't make out its location. Her eyes shifted through the entire forest, making sure to not miss a single opening. Then, she spotted him.
Maybe she should have thought like a ninja and approached cautiously, but as she saw a fragile body silently laying by a tree, she instantly ran over to it. Her instincts had been right—it was Uchiha Sasuke. She first noticed that his color was slowly draining from his body. He looked almost like a ghost. She placed two fingers on the side of his neck, checking for a pulse.
Thump...
Thump...
She took her hand away and frowned. He had a pulse, but a very week one. She wrapped her arms around his waist and slightly shifted him to lay back on the nearby tree. Sakura took note that there was already blood on the tree beforehand, and it seemed to have been dry.
'how long has he been here!?'
As she removed her arms from around him, she gasped. A large portion of her left arm was now a light crimson color. There was a large blood stain that took up most of the side of his shirt.
Sakura grimaced. It never mattered how many wounds she had seen in her time as a medic—they never failed to make her stomach turn. She was suddenly glad that she had decided to bring her medical supplies along for the journey. She removed her cloak and bag and placed them off to the side. Reaching into the bag, she pulled out a light brown bottle and bandages.
She removed his white shirt and grinned, "Sorry Sasuke." She wiped her hand clean of his blood and then ripped a small part of his shirt off. She wet the cloth with the liquid within the bottle and slowly started to wipe the areas around his wound. His face became a little troubled as she did so. His eyes seemed to clench together tighter—if that was at all possible—and his lips slightly parted as he scowled.
Sakura frowned. The blood wouldn't stop.
She placed both of her hands over his body, examining his insides. Her frowned deepened. Poison.
She wasn't sure she had enough chakra to be able to remove it from his body, but she had to try. Her hands began to glow a light green color as she narrowed her eyes on his form. She could see the poison throughout his entire system. There was so much of it. She was glad it was a common poison though, and not one more complicated. Had it been, she was sure Sasuke wouldn't even alive at this moment. It resembled the venom of a snake. Unlike most, this one did not work or spread right away. It's victims would be killed slowly—suffering first.
It was a cruel thing. Though, she realized the animal which it had originated from really had no say in what it's body produced. It just...was...
She worked non-stop for two hours and a half. Sweat poured down the side of her face. She reached one hand up to wipe it and smiled. The worst part of the poison was gone. She was certain his body could fight the rest off with little trouble. She looked down at her hands. Her palms were burnt and bleeding in some places; it hurt to even move them. Her chakra levels were completely depleted at this point.
The wound on his side had long ago stopped bleeding, but now she couldn't close it up. She decided to use traditional methods of healing instead. After thoroughly cleaning it, she wrapped it up with the bandages. Sakura sat back and studied her handy work.
His face no longer seemed to be troubled, and the color was slowly coming back to his skin. Sakura slowly laid his body back on the ground. She let his head rest on her bag and placed her cloak over his body.
She sat there for a long time just staring at his face and enjoying the feel of the wind through her hair. It was strange looking at his sleeping form. The other times she had seen him he always had an emotionless face and dark eyes. But now, every emotion that passed through him, she could clearly see. He even smiled for a few seconds once—but it was long gone before anyone had a chance to see.
Please don't hate Sasuke-kun. Don't think of him as a criminal.
Looking at him, she realized she probably wouldn't be able to hate him even if she tried. He was annoying though. The most annoying boy in the world.
She laid herself back against the tree, fighting to keep her eyes open. It was no use though, with every second that past, her lids seemed to become heavier and heavier. Just before they finally closed..she began to wonder why it was she had called him annoying. The thought soon disappeared as she found herself surrounded by darkness and warmly accepted it.
For the first time in his life, darkness was the very last thing he wanted. He tried desperately to open his eyes, but they didn't seem to want to comply to their masters demands. It wasn't until he felt something beneath him begin to move that he realized his eyes were already open. He looked down, getting an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Rose colored veins beneath him shifted and exploded into a bloody mess.
It was alive.
"Huh..." he took a small step back only to have the process repeated. It was then that he realized how difficult it was to move. Almost as if he were glued to the floor. "What is this place?"
It was at the sound of his voice that the ground began to slither a little faster than it previously had. It seemed to concentrate into a large ball a few feet away from him. It wasn't long until a man with the face of a snake appeared as the tentacles comprising the floor moved aside.
"An alternate dimension inside me..."
Sasuke looked around him with a grimace. "And the place where I carry out the soul transfer ritual."
'So this is what it feels like to be in the belly of a snake.' He found it to be less appealing than he could have ever imagined. Sasuke shifted his weight and slightly chuckled.
"And for a second I thought I was in hell..."
The snake narrowed it's eyes and allowed it's slimy tongue to slip past it's lips. "It's already started..."
It was then that Sasuke's body began to feel uncomfortable. It felt as if something was moving freely within him...practically eating him alive. The tentacles all around him rose and began to cover his frozen body. More and more faces appeared around him the same way as Orochimaru had. All of them had their eyes closed and were completely pale. He couldn't even begin to count the numerous victims all around him—but one thing was certain... He had already decided, he would not be one of them.
He turned his glare to Orochimaru who gladly returned it. The snake-man was now smiling widely—contently awaiting his prize. As the seconds past, Sasuke could feel himself fall further and further into darkness. His vision was almost completely covered by the tentacles.
"You're weak." His brother's familiar voice rang over and over in his head. Sasuke closed his eyes. "Why are you so weak? Because you lack it."
He took quick deep breaths for a few second. Sasuke felt something within him burn. "Hatred that is." As he opened his eyes once again, he felt the world around him in a completely new way. Everything seemed to still, as if time itself had come to a stop.
Orochimaru's grin grew wider as he stared deeper into Sasuke's eyes. 'Its happening again...' The snake man allowed himself to chuckle. "Those eyes...Those eyes will be mine."
Sasuke slowly let his eyes fall back on Orochimaru's. The snake's own bound body was slowly coming closer, his tentacles reaching out for Sasuke.
"You're not even worth killing." Sasuke allowed the curse mark to trigger within himself. It began to quickly spread all over his body and the tentacles which bound him. The once rose colored flesh began to turn to a much darker gray as it too became completely consumed by the power of the curse mark. The tentacles around him became looser and looser until they finally released him of their hold. It wasn't long until Sasuke held control of everything around him.
"This can't be happening! I created this dimension! There's no way..." The snake-man stuttered as he attempted to move away with no avail. His eyes shook back and forth, unable to break contact with Sasuke's.
"Orochimaru...against my eyes, all of your Jutsu's are powerless."
Orochimaru felt his own dimension began to eat him away. It tore into his flesh and finished the last bit of life he had left. "I refuse...to let this happen!!" He puffed out a deep breath.
Sasuke looked at the man with pity.
"I am Orochimaru! I am immortal! I WILL NOT DIE HERE!"
"When you have the same eyes as I do, come before me."
Sasuke closed his eyes and smiled, turning away from the dead snake.
He shot up from his position on the ground, panting deeply as sweat rolled down down the side of his face. Sasuke immediately regretted the action however. The burning sensation of light on his eyes was bad enough, but added on with the pain he felt through every inch of his body, he found himself on the verge of wailing out in pain. He was satisfied with biting harshly on his lower lip as he laid back down.
Sasuke sat back as his eyes adjusted to the light of early morning—the previous day's memories finally coming back to him. He lifted the hand which covered his eyes up and stared at it—tightening it into a fist.
'why am I still alive...?'
He could've slapped himself as realization finally hit in. He grabbed the cloth which covered him and lifted it slightly. He found his torso to be wrapped neatly with fresh bandages.
'Someone...saved me?'
Sasuke attempted to get up once again, but his body was still too weak. He realized he barely had any chakra left within himself. He turned his head to look all around himself—searching for the mysterious fool who had helped him. As he let his head fall to his left, he froze. His eyes shrunk as they met the lightest color of pink he had ever seen. He parted his lips to say something, but nothing escaped from the depths of his dry throat.
'Sakura...?'
She looked so peaceful as she laid against one of the cherry blossom trees. It was difficult to turn his eyes away from her. Maybe even more difficult than defeating Orochimaru had been. Sasuke frowned—he didn't like the feeling at all. As he closed his eyes to block her out, he found them open once again and staring at her. She was lightly smiling, her lips a light pink color, much like her hair; which at the current moment framed her delicate face. The way the sun light shone through the layers of cherry blossoms gave her an almost ethereal glow. He found it hard to breathe—though in his mind it was blamed on his injuries. His frown was so deep it was practically inhuman. He would have found it much more pleasant to have just awoken to the sight of his blood. He wanted her gone, but she would not budge. Just like before...she seemed to always be by his side.
This girl would never learn. He knew he should have killed her. He had two chances, but just let them slip by. She was like a deadly virus that had to be removed. He was too close, much too close to let his plans crumble to the floor.
He quickly turned his head and gazed towards the canopy of trees above him as he saw her stir. Through the corner of his eye, he watched as she lazily opened her eyes and quickly rubbed them with her hands. He gulped as he heard the mewl which escaped her lips as she stretched her back. His eyes drifted away again.
"Oh..." She slowly began, "You're finally awake?"
He turned his face to look at her but didn't reply. He felt like moving away as she crawled on all fours over to where he laid. She sat down next to him—a little closer than he personally liked—and stared down at him. She brought one hand above his face. Noticing her movement, Sasuke quickly grasped on to her wrist and held her hand in place. He felt her slightly shiver before trying to pull away. This was his chance, she was so close. It would only take on swift movement to knock her out and finish her. But he could only seem to glare at her.
She had fear in her eyes, clouded with uncertainty. They were the type of eyes he preferred from those around him. It let him know that she knew he was in power. He noticed though, they were also slightly red, as if she were tired.
"U-Um..." She slightly stuttered.
"..." He wasn't about to waste his breath on her.
"I just wan't to check your temperature." Her voice was not at all like before. It was much softer and almost shy. Was this the same girl who he had fought with only a few days ago? It was as if all of her confidence was stripped away and she were left nude in front of a stranger. Maybe that is what he was to her. After all, she herself had proven to have no knowledge of him from her past. He liked the thought. No more Sakura or Naruto chasing after him, which he realized they hadn't in years. If it was really over...then what the hell was she doing here?
No memory and she still couldn't stop pestering him. The gods were cruel.
Sasuke looked away from her and at her small hand. It was almost half the size of his own. It was hard to picture a sword or even kunai in such delicate hands. He noticed, however, that there were several burns present on her palm, and even dried blood here and there.
"Who did this to you, Sakura?" His voice grew dark and his eyes as well.
Sakura's body froze for a second. Who did this to you, Sakura? She played his comment over and over in her head. For some reason, it sounded strangely familiar. She thought nothing more of it as she quickly pulled her hand free of his grasp a little harder than before and stared down at them herself.
"Oh..um...you did..."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"No .. no ..I.." She felt strange around him all of a sudden. It wasn't like it had been just over a day ago. After reading her letter and looking through all of those pictures, she wondered if she would ever be herself again. Something deep inside of her provided her with an answer. 'Why would I want to?'
"I mean...I overdid myself a little while healing you." She stared down at her burnt hands with sad eyes. It still hurt to move them.
Sasuke turned his head away from her, cursing himself for being so weak as to require the help of another. Especially Sakura. He let a deep breath escape his lips as he closed his eyes. He knew the whole world would be laughing at the great Sasuke Uchiha. He'd never felt so powerless before.
He went rigid at the feel of her hand on his forehead. It was warmth like his body had never felt before. He wanted to push her away again like before, but it was over before it even started. The warmth of her hand was gone and replaced with the cool feel of the wind once again. He felt uncomfortable around her—knowing that if he were to look at her, two green eyes would be right there to look back.
He flinched as he felt her hands on his chest. He didn't look at her, but instead at her movements. He wasn't sure if she was doing it on purpose, but her pace was excruciatingly slow. Sakura griped onto the edge of the cloak which covered Sasuke's body. He fingernails grazed over the ripples of his muscles causing the youngest Uchiha to slightly shiver.
Finding it in him to look at her, all he was met with was a distant stare—one that he was very much familiar with himself.
"Sakura?"
She seemed to snap out of her trance. The color returned to her bright eyes as she looked at him.
"Hm?"
"What are you doing." It wasn't a comment, more like a demand. She noticed his voice was so cold, it almost stung.
"I couldn't finish healing your wound because I ran out of chakra, but I should be fine now." She gripped on the the end of the bandage and slowly lifted it, sliding it out from beneath him when ever it became necessary.
He pushed her hands away with as much force as he could muster. "I'm fine." He didn't fail to notice the slightly hurt look on her face as she gripped the ground behind her to keep herself from falling.
She sat there starring at his cold eyes before feeling something burn within her. 'That egotistical bastard!' She let her nails sink into the dirt as she gave him the dirtiest look she could manage. She had piratically saved his damned life and he couldn't even mutter a 'thanks Sakura' in return. No, he had to be a man and put his tough act back in place.
Sasuke was sure he heard a growl escape her. Where the hell was the uncertainty and fear in her eyes? Looking as deep as he could, he found it gone.
"No, you're not! It could get infected. I need to heal it." She brought her hands closer to him and he proceeded to push her away again.
"I said I'm fine." He made sure to let his voice rise a little this time.
Sakura crossed her hands under her chest and narrowed her eyes on him. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?!"
He looked away. "Heal your hands."
"Wha-?" She looked at the burns on her hands; wondering for just a second why he even cared. "Its fin-"
"Just do it."
"No." She was curious as to just how far she could push him. In the back of her mind she wondered if he hadn't killed her before just because she was his ex-teammate. That had to be it.
Sasuke was in no mood to play a word games with her. "Sakura..."
"Urusai already, geez!"
She gripped onto the last bit of bandage and pulled it off perhaps a bit too roughly as she noticed him wince.
'Serves him right.'
Sasuke had no choice but to sit back and watch as she healed him. It was fascinating the way her hands began to glow—much like the color of her eyes. She was so concentrated on her task that he was sure the world could come to an end at this moment and she would never realize it. It was strange—the feelings which passed through him as she healed him. His body tingled under her hands, yet she didn't even touch him. The sensation of her chakra passing throughout his body was unlike anything words could describe. It was only a matter of minutes before she pulled away and smiled.
Sasuke slowly propped himself up on his elbows and looked at his side. The bite that once use to cover it was now reduced to merely a small scar. He was shocked beyond words. She must have indeed become a great medic-nin as he had once heard Orochimaru mention.
He looked back at her as he felt her hand come near him again. In the center of her palm was a small pill, and in her other hand a canteen of what he assumed was water.
"It'll help restore your strength quicker."
He swallowed the pill down and sighed as the cool water ran down his eager throat. Sasuke stared at her as she took his head rest and began rummaging through it, attempting to organize things apparently.
"Why are you helping me?"
The question caught her off guard. She stopped her movement and looked at him, searching for an answer. 'Why am I helping him?' Just two or three days ago she had practically tried to kill him—she would have if she were stronger than him, he was after all a criminal and it was her duty to capture him. And now, thanks to a couple of words quickly scribbled down in a moment of passion, she sat staring at him, with no words coming out of her mouth.
I wish I could have had the chance to help him.
Sasuke watched her distant eyes return as she shrugged. It seemed that every other day he would meet a new Sakura—each with a different set of emotions and values.
Her lips slowly curved into a small smile. "I-I... want to help you, Sasuke."
Sasuke allowed his eyes to remain closed after he blinked. "I'm not going back Sakura. You should stop wasting your time."
He noticed her smile hadn't faded when he opened his eyes. She wasn't crying, or hugging him, or begging him. None of the above. He shifted uncomfortably as she shook her head.
In the back of her mind, Sakura knew he was referring to Konoha. He wouldn't return to Konoha. But she didn't expect him to.
"No. I want to help you fulfill your dream." She was clueless as to what it was, but willing to help either way. "Whatever it is."
"My dream...?" He slowly whispered.
"I don't want to use the word 'dream' but...I have an ambition. The resurrection of my clan and...to kill a certain man."
He allowed his body to lay down. "You don't know what you're talking about. Leave me."
He watched her shrug once again. "You're right. I don't know...anything at all in fact, but I still want to help you. I-I think..." she stopped for a few seconds, "...thats what I really wanted to do before I lost my memories."
Sasuke huffed, "Why not just break the seal." It was all a matter of common sense. 'This Sakura must not be as bright as the old one.'
Sakura wasn't the least bit surprised that he had already figured out about her seal. She sighed, "If I do..."
He noticed her voice held a hint of sorrow. "Then everything will be completely erased." She sourly chuckled. "Memories are delicate things you know?"
Sasuke tore his eyes off of her as he felt a change in the wind. The shadows were dancing to a strange tune—something wasn't right. He stood abruptly into a defensive stance. Sakura also noticed that something was strange.
"Whats going on?" She whispered to him as she looked all around the small forest.
Sasuke grinned. "We have a visitor."
As if on cue, a tall man jumped out from one of the trees. He wore a sleeveless blood red shirt and black pants which were tied on either side just under his knees. He was large and muscular, unlike anyone Sakura had ever seen. His eyes were partially hidden from view by the orange strands of hair which covered his face.
The strange man grinned. "Found you."
"Ronin," Sasuke huffed. "What do you want?"
Sakura looked back at Sasuke with confused eyes. 'He knows this guy?!'
The man reached behind his back and pulled out a small dagger. Its hilt resembled the color of his hair. The blade itself had what appeared to be flames designed onto it.
"I just wanted to thank you Sasuke-sama. You did the dirty work for me." He smirked. "Now you're the only threat to me."
Ronin took a step froward. Sakura's instincts finally kicked in. She brought her fist in contact with the ground, transferring all of her chakra to the unsuspecting rocks below her. Her chakra traveled straight for him, everything in its path collapsing.
The man was forced to quickly jump out of the way. "Whoa now..." Ronin looked shocked. He looked over towards Sakura finally noticing her. "No need to get angry doll face."
Sakura's eye twitched. 'DOLL FACE?!'
Ronin grinned over at Sasuke. "Finally found your sexuality?" Nothing about Sasuke had changed though. Ronin always saw him with the same serious face ever since he arrived in the sound under the care of Orochimaru. And nothing could really cause him to lose his cool. He had never liked Sasuke at all, but he was glad the guy had taken Orochimaru out.
Sasuke had the urge to smile as he noticed how pissed off Sakura was. He had an experiment to conduct however, and he needed his victim to be partially alive.
"Stop, Sakura."
She immediately forgot what had transpired and stared at Sasuke.
Ronin chuckled. "How cute, just like a dog." His voice grew dark at his last word.
Sakura glared at him before taking a deep breath. She glance back at Sasuke and saw him close his eyes. He stayed like that for a few minutes before opening them again. They were no longer the deep black she had looked at just a few minutes ago, but now a bloody red color. He looked like a demon—a blood crazed one.
Sasuke smirked as he tore straight into Ronin's eyes. 'Now or never...'
"MANGEKYOU SHARINGAN!"
Sakura watched as his voice tore straight through the forest, awaking any creature that could have been asleep. His eyes widened as much as possible. She found herself taking a step back as she looked at them. The way they looked now was completely different to how she had previously seen them. She gasped as the man called Ronin fell to the ground with a loud thump. His eyes were wide, and pupils dilated. His mouth gaped open, allowing fluids to freely stream out. He had genuine fear passing through his face as he shuddered uncontrollably.
She turned her eyes back to sasuke. He kept his eyes open for only a second longer before closing them and falling to his knees. His palms quickly fell to the ground in front of him to support himself. Sakura ran over to him, kneeling by his side. He was panting deeply.
'Baka. He doesn't have enough strength to be using the Sharingan yet...'
She hesitantly placed a hand on his back—a little unsure of what to do. She wondered what in the world Sasuke had done to that man to leave him in such a state. It scared her...just a little.
"Are you...alright?" Her voice slightly shook.
She held her breath as he turned to look at her. Sakura let her breath release as she came in contact with black eyes and not the sinister ones from a minute ago.
Sasuke slightly smirked. "Hn..." 'It's time...'
"When you have the same eyes as I do, come before me."
He shrugged her hand off of him and stood. He felt a bit shaky at first, but the feeling was soon put behind him as determination finally took over. He had everything he needed to get his revenge. It had taken him years, but his family would finally be avenged.
"Sasuke?"
There was her voice again. The mountain in his path, blocking him once again. He brought his hand to his side, making sure his sword was still there. To his surprise it was. This Sakura really wasn't the bright one at all.
"I think we should get moving." Sakura looked all around her, as if searching for more intruders. She sighed in relief as she realized there were none. "If he already found us here, there are sure to be more on the way. Especially the team Tsunade sent to the Sound."
Sasuke arched an eyebrow. He registered what she meant. "We?"
He threw her cloak around his bare chest, noticing the pile of blood that once used to be his shirt. He didn't like the way it smelt at all—or how warm it kept him. It was too much like her for his taste.
She walked over to get bag and gathered all of her things. "I told you. I'm going to help you." She flashed him a bright grin before strapping the backpack on herself.
Typical Sakura, she would betray anyone for him.
"And I said no." It was as if he were doomed to have this same conversation with her for eternity...or longer.
"Come on Uchiha. I'll heal you whenever you need it, and help you train. I promise to not get in your way."
Uchiha...he didn't like the way she said his name at all. She did have a point though. Her healing skills might come in handy. Sighing, he looked at her in the eyes. "One condition."
Sakura grinned. "Name it."
"Don't fall in love with me." 'Not again.'
She blinked, wondering whether she had heard him correctly. 'Arrogant little bastard.' She huffed and looked away, a quick nod answering his question.
He jumped onto a tree above her and looked back. His face was cold and harsh. "If you can't keep up, I'll leave you behind." He told her before disappearing.
She allowed chakra to build up in the soles of her feet before jumping onto the branch of a tree after him.
'Love?' The Kunoichi pondered. 'Did I...love him?'
End Chapter 6
Sorry it took so long. Been kinda busy for the past week, and I had to re-do this chapter a few times...Sasuke felt too nice... oh wells. Anyways, Ronin is another OC...just added him in to give Sasuke a chance to test out his eyes, which if you were paying attention, you would realize that in this story he got them while battling against Orochimaru's body transfer ritual thing o.0 ... Check out my Deviant art for some SakuSasu drawings I've done. The link is on my profile page, just click on "homepage."
Remember to Review :3
Love,
Fates Princess
Baka - Idiot
Sugoi - Amazing/incredible/awseome/wow!
Urusai – Shut up!
Kunoichi – Female Ninja