Chapter Six: I'll Always Be Here For You... My Love...

Now we're talking. We'll switch characters this time.

"Sakura!" Sesshoumaru shouted. He was awakened from his sleep.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" said Rin and Jaken. They were so surprised by Sesshoumaru's shout.

Sesshoumaru was sweating and his eyes were wide open. He touched his forehead as he opened his mouth. Rin and Jaken waited for something to come out of Sesshoumaru's mouth, but they obviously knew that their master was shocked.

Rin nudged Jaken's ribs and then Jaken said, "We'll just find something to drink," and they ran away.

When Sesshoumaru was finally alone, he arose from the place where he was sleeping to the cliff where he thought about Sakura.

"Are you alive?" Sesshoumaru said out loud. He felt that he was alone so he opened his mouth to let his thoughts out.

"Yes I am," a voice suddenly answered Sesshoumaru's question.

"Who's that?" He said, facing backwards as he held his sword.

"It's me," the person said as she emerged with the light of the rising sun. "Sakura,"

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened with shock as he saw Sakura standing before his presence. "Sakura, is that you?" he said.

"Yes, Sesshoumaru," she replied as she smiled. "It is me,"

Sesshoumaru looked bewildered. "Sakura..." he once again said.

Sakura smiled once again to comfort Sesshoumaru. She looked at him with care and love, as she tried to show him that she still loved him no matter what. Sesshoumaru, the one who was surprised, looked at her with seriousness with a bit of shock.

He couldn't believe that she rose from the dead.

Sakura went to him and embraced him. She never felt happier than before. Here she was, reunited with her love. As she tightly embraced him, she remembered the past. The past that looks wonderful for her, and the past that looks terrible to Sesshoumaru. As Sesshoumaru began to hold her hands, she softly said these words:

"I'll be here for you no matter what,

No matter when,

And no matter where.

I'll love you forever,

'til the sun touches the sky,

And 'til the moon embraces the night.

I'll never leave you...

Even if you leave me.

I will embrace you

When you are in need,

I'll tell you words that are able to comfort your weeping heart.

Even if they take you away from me,

Or if they take me away from you,

I'll always be here to comfort you

Just like you always did for me."

Sesshoumaru tightly held her hands and pushed them away. As Sesshoumaru pushed her hands away, Sakura stepped backwards and lowered her head. Then, Sesshoumaru pulled her arm into his body and they were once again in a warm, comforting embrace. It has been three years since they last held each other, and now they are treasuring each moment they have. Sesshoumaru touched Sakura's soft hair, caressing it softly. He remembered some things, both dreadful and pleasant. Then, Sesshoumaru remembered one thought, a thought that can never be erased from his mind ever again...

Three years ago... in Sesshoumaru's memory

"Kill him!" shouted Naraku which made Sesshoumaru's eyes grew wide.

"I can't, " said a woman who was shedding her tears.

"Kill him! You can't let him live!" cried Naraku once again.

"Master Sesshoumaru! Fight for your life!" cried Jaken with a hint of fear on his voice.

"Naraku, please stop! Don't make me do this!" the woman shouted again.

"Don't kill me, Sakura," said Sesshoumaru who looked at the woman who was shedding tears.

"I wish I couldn't, Sesshoumaru," said Sakura as the Sereñia forced her hand to stab Sesshoumaru's heart.

The Sereñia was clutched by Sakura's hand. Before the next scene, let me tell you this:the Sereñia has "mental" powers which can instruct the holder to kill somebody or someone without consent from its master.

Now there was Sakura, trying to stop the Sereñia's orders.

Suddenly, Naraku interrupted Sakura's perseverance to disobey the Sereñia.

Naraku stretched his hand towards Sakura's direction, and then, he widened his eyes.

Suddenly, Sakura's red pupils turned into dark blue. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as he saw that Sakura was now not herself.

"Sakura, talk to me!" Sesshoumaru said as he touched Sakura's shoulders. "Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

"I shall kill you," Sakura said, as she looked into Sesshoumaru's eyes.

Sesshoumaru looked bewildered as Sakura said those words.

Sakura fought Sesshoumaru with her sword. Sesshoumaru was still pleading as she still fought with him.

"Sakura!" Sesshoumaru pleaded. "Stop this madness!"

"Sesshoumaru," Sakura said, as she tried to stab Sesshoumaru.

Her aim missed, but Sesshoumaru held her hand and whispered to her ear,

"You don't know what you're doing,"

Sakura's eyes widened, which caused her to stab Sesshoumaru.

Her aim missed again, and Sesshoumaru pointed his Toukijin at her.

Naraku slowly chuckled as he saw that Sesshoumaru finally pointed his sword at the woman he loves.

"Kill her, so you won't suffer anymore, Sesshoumaru," said Naraku as he urged Sesshoumaru.

"I won't kill her even if I had the chance," said Sesshoumaru as he looked deeply in Sakura's eyes.

Naraku's eyebrows formed angst as Sesshoumaru said those words.

"I won't kill her," Sesshoumaru said once again,

"I love her, and I'll always will,"

Sakura's eyes grew wide as it formed tears. Sesshoumaru saw her eyes that were once again planning to shed its tears.

Sakura's tears continued to flow. She stepped forward and raised her hand which as clutching the Sereñia.

"It's time for you to die," she said. She stepped forward once again, but something urged her to stop.

"Sesshoumaru," she said. "Sesshoumaru…Sesshoumaru…" she repeated over and over again.

"Sakura!" shouted Naraku, which caused Sakura to stab Sesshoumaru's heart.

Sesshoumaru was lucky that he was able to duck Sakura's hit.

Sesshoumaru finally sensed that he should stop fiddling around with Naraku's tricks. He was tripped to the ground, thanks to Sakura's Sereñia. Sesshoumaru once again looked in Sakura's eyes which were shedding tears.

"Sesshoumaru..." she kept saying. Sesshoumaru finally told her these words,

"Kill me, even if you love me... Kill me then have a dreadful life,"

Sakura was crying a river as she heard those words. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes. Sakura was holding the Sereñia in the air, ready to plunge Sesshoumaru's heart. Sesshoumaru was waiting for pain, but suddenly, Sakura's pupils went back to the redness that they were once.

Sakura saw the man she loves, waiting the time for him to be killed. Sakura once again shed her tears and she finally got ready to kill Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru heard the swish of the sword, but what was this? Why is he not suffering the pain he should feel?

He opened his eyes and saw a dreadful sight.

In front of him was a body almost covered in blood.

The body fell to the ground, and Sesshoumaru took a glimpse to see who the person was.

He recognized the person even though she was surrounded by blood.

He finally saw that it was Sakura. Suddenly, a feeling of fear entered his soul.

"Sakura!" he shouted.

"S-s-s-Sesshoumaru..." Sakura said.

"What have you done? Sesshoumaru asked her.

"I did this to save you from despair…" Sakura said while touching Sesshoumaru's face

"Sakura, please don't talk. You won't be able to regain your strength!" Sesshoumaru tried to warn her, but she tries too much.

"I'm glad I met you, Lord Sesshoumaru... Take the Sereñia as a sign of gratitude..." said Sakura.

"Don't say such things..." said Sesshoumaru. "You will still live..."

"No..." she said. "The c-c-cherry blossoms will always be with y-y-you..."

"Sakura, please stop it!" said Sesshoumaru, tears forming in his eyes. "Don't die! You can't die!"

"I'll always be with you... S-s-Sesshoumaru..." Sakura said. "I l-l-love y-y-you... so much..."

"NO!" Sesshoumaru shouted as tears prickled down his cheeks. Sakura's face became pale. She became cold. Her lips turned pale blue. Sakura, the woman who loved Sesshoumaru, was no longer alive.

"SAKURA!" Sesshoumaru shouted. "NO!"

Naraku chuckled as he saw this sight. Sesshoumaru looked at him, but he suddenly disappeared.

Once again, he looked at Sakura's dead body. A fountain of memories rushed through his head which caused anger, despair, sorrow and angst to enter his soul.

"Sakura!" Sesshoumaru shouted. "Don't leave! Don't go! Sakura..."

"Master Sesshoumaru, there is no more chance for Miss Sakura to live," Jaken explained. "She has no power to do that."

"Sakura..." Sesshoumaru kept saying the young lady's name.

"Master," said Jaken as a sign of concern.

"Naraku will surely pay," Sesshoumaru suddenly said in the midst of his grief.

"Master Sesshoumaru," said Jaken, urging his master to stop his anger. "We must get going now,"

"Go ahead, Jaken," said Sesshoumaru who was holding the Sereñia.

"Yes, master," said Jaken as he went ahead towards another direction.

Finally, when Jaken went away, Sesshoumaru was able to be his own self again.

"He will surely pay," Sesshoumaru said to Sakura. He was still clutching the Sereñia in his hand. Sesshoumaru suddenly raised his hand (which was clutching the Sereñia) and surprisingly plunged Sakura's heart.

"I did this for you, my princess," said Sesshoumaru who dropped the sword he was holding. "It is time to forget the past," he said. Sesshoumaru knelt down and kissed the lips of his love. "Goodbye, Sakura..." said Sesshoumaru as he walked away.

He was snapped back to reality as the flashback ended.

Sakura looked at his eyes, but Sesshoumaru pulled away from their embrace.

"You shouldn't be alive," said Sesshoumaru as he looked at the ground. "Why are you here?"

"Something happened," Sakura said while looking at Sesshoumaru. "But it's not important,"

"Tell me what it is," Sesshoumaru said.

"You don't need to know that," said Sakura.

Sesshoumaru looked at the bright moon. Sesshoumaru then softly said these words to Sakura,

"Leave me alone,"

"If that's what you want me to do," Sakura said while heading for the woods.

Sakura disappeared as Sesshoumaru said these words,

"A person who despises the person he loves is stupid..."