Gravity- Sara Bareilles
Something always brings me back to you.
It never takes too long.
No matter what I say or do I'll still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone.
You hold me without touch.
You keep me without chains.
I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love and not feel your reign.
CHORUS:
Set me free, leave me be. I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity.
Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be.
But you're on to me and all over me.
You loved me 'cause I'm fragile.
When I thought that I was strong.
But you touch me for a little while and all my fragile strength is gone.
CHORUS:
I live here on my knees as I try to make you see that you're everything I think I need here on
The ground.
But you're neither friend nor foe though I can't seem to let you go.
The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down
Authors Note: Hope you enjoy the update.
SIX MONTHS LATER. . .
"Are you sure you're ready for this," Naruto asked concern apparent in his eyes.
"I'll be fine," I smiled and touched his hand which was lightly gripping my arm.
He frowned at my answer but nodded and dropped his hand. He turned to the wall before us and grabbed an orange and black helmet off the wall. "It can be very dangerous," he warned me yet again.
"I know," I replied as I stepped next to him and grabbed a red and black helmet. I smiled again at him, "Danger doesn't scare me," I said and turned from him.
"Thats what scares me," he said with a grunt.
"Oh don't worry so much. I've been well prepared on what to do. I'm as good as anyone else whose about to go up there," I said over my shoulder at him. I walked to the bench that had our stuff placed on it and began to finish packing my bag.
"Except they've been doing it far longer," he said as he walked towards me.
"Everyone has to start somewhere," I said without looking up at him.
He leaned down and placed his hands on my shoulders. I straightened and stood upright instead of hunched over the bench as I had been. I turned my head slightly and looked at his gloved hand on my left shoulder. The glove was mostly black except for the skeletal-like orange pattern on the top of the glove. I was wearing identical gloves except instead of orange I had red. Our body suits were much the same, mostly black except where the color ran in patterns on our sides. "You don't have to do this," he whispered.
"Yes," I whispered back, "I do."
"Why?" his voice was slightly louder as he asked the question; it held a frustrated edge.
"You don't have to come," I said with a shake of my head.
"We've been over this," he said and sighed, his hands dropping from my shoulders. "I will go if you go."
I turned and meet his gaze, "You don't need to do that."
"I want to," he said staring at me intently.
I turned my back to him and began packing my bag again. I could hear him step back and lean against the lockers on the opposing wall. Finished shoving what I could in the bag, I turned back to him. He was leaning against the green lockers like I had thought. His arms were crossed across his chest and his face was grim. "Ready?" I asked and turned from him not waiting for an answer. Instead I headed out of the room.
I had remembered very little since I had arrived at this base six months ago. I still didn't remember being found by them nor how I had ended up in the hospital wing. Nothing that could tell me how I had arrived at the base. What little memories I had were of my childhood with Sasuke the boy who had come and lived with us since I was about six. Maybe eight but I was pretty sure I was six. Somewhere in our early teen years he had started to train with the guards eventually becoming one.
My father assigned him as my head guard by the time I was fifteen and he was ever by my side. Then I could remember nothing until the night I slept with him in a chamber within the castle. I knew enough to know it had not been my room. Earlier there had been a ceremony of some sort, the details were lost as that memory was just snapshots of the events. Then somehow I was in the room with the bed.
After the morning in the chamber I remembered nothing as well. Nothing in my memories had as much of a chronological order as up to the night in the room with Sasuke. It was like after that, time was warped. I had a feeling the terror memories, like the one with the poor child trampled by the crowd, came after the night in Sasuke's arms but I couldn't place when they happened and those type of memories were few and answered nothing.
Even more puzzling were the words spoken by Sasuke that night. Did I get married the next day? And if I did why was I not wearing a wedding ring on my hand now? I had so many questions and had so few answered. Maybe going above would help me remember something.
I entered the brightly lit room where the chopper was. "Sakura!" Lee said as he bounded towards me. He was taller than I with black hair and bushy eyebrows. I had meet him shortly after I started living with Naruto. I smiled an uncomfortable smile at Lee. He was always so happy to see me. I mentally sighed.
"Hey Lee," I replied. His jumpsuit was black and a green mixed with orange. His helmet was off, probably within the chopper. I held mine under my arm.
"You know I will be by your side the whole time so there is no need to worry," he assured me.
Great. "Thanks Lee," I said as I walked towards the chopper, Lee by my side.
Sai looked up from loaded something into the chopper and asked, "Where's Naruto?"
"He should be coming soon," I answered. Sai reminded me of Sasuke a lot, maybe it was the darker looks with the light skin or perhaps it was the personality disposition. Sasuke talked to me more though. And Sasuke was more attractive. He had a better personality too, not that Sai's was bad. Sasuke was just... more.
"Where's everyone else?" I asked Sai.
"Coming," he replied and began loading the stuff back into the chopper. His tone was final, thus ending our conversation.
"Are you nervous?" Lee asked abruptly apparently trying to monopolize me not that he had to worry about Sai, of all people, taking my time away from him.
"Not really," I said and sat down in a chair. "Just antsy."
"Well if your nervous thats normal," he said and plopped down in the chair next to me. Who was he trying to convince, me or him? I smiled then quickly frowned to cover it up.
"Are you nervous?" I asked trying to keep the smile off my face.
"No.. of course not," Lee said shaking his head slowly, he then quickly added, "But if you are that is perfectly understandable."
"You know you don't have to go today," I pointed out.
"I wouldn't let you go alone," he said.
"I wouldn't be alone," I said and slumped lower into the chair.
Lee frowned probably as he thought about who all was coming, no doubt. Whatever I had said had made him be quiet and for that I was glad. Lee was nice and all but I could only handle him in small doses at a time. His admiration of me was quite the burden.
The sound of the doors opening echoed in the large room. I turned my head to see Neji and Shikamaru enter. Neji's suit was white and black. Shikamaru's solid green and black. Behind them Kakashi and Iruka followed; their suits grey and black, blue and black.
I wondered briefly why all the suits were different and not uniform. It pasted quickly. "Ready?" Kakashi asked.
"Where's Naruto?" Iruka asked.
"He should be-" I started to say but the doors to the locker room opened and Naruto stepped out.
"Let's go," Kakashi said and climbed into the chopper.
I took a deep breath then stood and followed the men into the small chopper. As soon as I climbed in I heard Lee, "Here Sakura, I saved a seat for you." I started to head that way when Naruto passed me and sat in the seat Lee had 'saved' for me.
When Lee tried to complain Naruto spoke over him, "Hurry and sit down Sakura before we take off." He gestured to the seat on the other side of him. I listened and sat at his side but not before glancing over at him and smiling at his cruel behavior toward Lee. He smiled a smug smile back at me.
Shikamaru was in the pilot's seat and next to him was Kakashi. I imagined Kakashi was very capable despite how hard he tried to act as the flighty type. I leaned my head back against the head rest as the engine started and the blades started to propel around.
"You're not a nervous flyer are you?" Naruto teased.
"I don't know," I answered honestly.
"Suppose thats true."
The sound of the engine reminded me of other things. I frowned as the memory pulled me under.
"Run!" Sasuke said. We were in a room with large machine like things inside. Fire was visible within the machinery whatever they were. We were flights down as I could see a metal staircase we must have climbed down to get to this point.
"What about you?" I screamed back my hands gripping his arms, tears in my eyes.
"I'll catch up to you," he said and as he saw the disbelief in my eyes he leaned forward and whispered in my ear, "I promise." He kissed my cheek and forced me to let go. "Now go."
I had been wrong. We had not climbed down the stairs, we had come through the door on the other side of the machinery. I ran towards the stairs and began to climb them as fast as I could. I was near the top when someone knocked down the door. I was almost to the door at the top. I glanced down.
Sasuke drew a gun.
I was at the door. I looked down again.
A blur hit him and he was on the ground gun lost. He rolled and hit the blur with his sword which he must have drawn as he rolled. The blur stopped moving and I saw it was a man, his back was to me so I couldn't make out the face. "GO!" Sasuke yelled.
I turned and ran out the door.
The chopper took off from the ground and soon we were out into the sky, out of the safety of the base.
"Did you remember something," Naruto asked me softly as we flew through the air.
"Yes," I said, "but it doesn't help me any."
"What were you doing?"
"I was in a room with machines. I was told to run by my bodyguard and I did. I ran up the flights of stairs but before I left the room I looked down to see him attack someone. I couldn't see who."
Naruto was silent.
"See it doesn't help at all," I said.
"I suppose it doesn't but it is a memory. Its good that you're remembering anything at all, no matter how trivial," he said and nudged me with his shoulder. I saw past him and looked onto an unhappy Lee. It was only briefly as Naruto soon obscured my view again.
We fell into silence shortly after this until Iruka nodded at Naruto and he said, "We're almost to a drop point. You scared now?"
"Does it matter?" I said to him.
"Yes," he answered sternly.
"I've got butterflies but I'm ready."
"Its daylight. They won't be out."
"You've still not told me what 'they' is you know."
"I'm still waiting for you to remember."
"What if I never do?"
We dropped lower, nearly hovering over the ground. Finally we landed, the propellers slowed but did not stop. Neji slide the door open and was the first outside. Everyone else followed suit, everyone except Shikamaru who remained in the pilot's seat. After the last person was out, Kakashi slid the doors shut again and Shikamaru took off. We were to meet sometime later for a pick-up. The location different as a safety precaution.
We were in a park like area. A large grassy field around us.
"This way," Kakashi said as he headed for the trees. Everyone followed wordlessly. We past the trees and came to a city. Or what perhaps used to be one.
Ruins surrounded us. I was shocked at the decaying buildings. It was like everyone had up and disappeared. The group passed a convenience story. I stopped and glanced inside. The windows were almost too dirty to see through. It had long been abandoned, the racks over turned.
"What happened?" I asked stunned by what I saw around me. Everything was eerie. The dead city was too quiet.
Lee frowned at the question but said nothing. Naruto lightly grabbed my elbow and steered me forward, "Come on."
"Why won't anyone tell me?"
"Its not that we won't," Iruka said. "Its that we're hoping you'll remember and we don't want to influence you."
"What do you mean influence me? Like I would what... make something up?" I asked. When Iruka flenched at my words I gasped, "You guys still don't trust me!"
Naruto put his hand on my back, "I trust you."
"Are you going to tell me then?" I pressed.
"No, I want you to remember," he said.
I turned and began to follow Kakashi again.
"Is that a body?" Lee asked as we came to the remains of what once had been a church. Only one wall was left, surprisingly the stain-glass was still in tack. In a patch of grass laid, sure enough, a body.
"Shit," Iruka said and froze.
Neji was quicker, he was the first to the body. "He's still alive," he said.
Naruto was the second to the body. He helped Neji roll the man over. A man with red hair and slanted eyes lay limp on the ground.
"Does anyone know who this is?" Kakashi asked.
"He's my husband," I answered and as soon as I said the words I knew them to be true. Naruto looked shell-shocked but I was not focused on Naruto. I was focused on the body in front of me.
"Let's get him to the chopper," Kakashi said picking up Gaara. Iruka ran over and helped him with the body.
"There you go," the woman said looking up and smiling at me. She had finished hemming my dress.
I turned from her and looked at myself in the mirror. The white dress fell to the floor. I had opted out of the veils which cover the face and instead had one that come out from my tightly done hair. White flowers had been delicately placed around the bun. "I shouldn't be wearing white," I said as I stared at my pale face in the mirror.
"What are you saying, princess?" The woman said with a gasp.
"Okay," Ino said rushing forward in her purple gown. It was silk and it clung to her in all the right places. Her hair was up and curls cascaded down. "Thank you so much for you help," she said taking the woman's arm and showing her to the door.
The woman went as she was pulled but she looked to me, her mouth open, as she searched for an answer to what I had meant. Ino firmly shut the door and leaned against it. She turned and glared at me hissing, "What are you thinking?"
I was shaking my head no as I stared at myself in the mirror. Over and over. Ino pushed off the door and wrapped her arms around me. Tears slipped out and I stared horrified into the mirror. I reached out and put my hand on the glass.
"Make it stop. Make time stop," I said as I shook.
"Honey," Ino said, "I can't."
I closed my eyes and dropped my head. My body followed suit and with it Ino was dragged to the floor, her arms till wrapped around me.
Eventually the tears stopped. Ino stood and grabbed some tissues. She mopped up my face as I sat numbly staring into space. She said nothing as she cleaned me up and reapplied my make-up.
She stood again and stretched out her hand. I took it and she helped me to stand. "It's almost time," she said softly.
I nodded. I knew.
"I'm just going to out and see how everything is going. I'll be right back, okay?" she said with a frown. She was worried about me. Somewhere inside I felt bad for that, but right now I wasn't concerned with how others felt.
The door clicked shut and I was alone. I turned and looked back at the mirror. My stomach tossed and I felt sick. I took a deep breath. I could do this. I could.
But did I want to?
My feet were moving before I realized it. I threw the window open, picked up my dress, and crawled out of it as best I could.
Where would he be?
I ran into the forest not caring that I was in a white dress only caring that I could see his face one more time. Just once more and maybe my world wouldn't seem as drab and confining.
I ran into the forest my dress pulled up so I wouldn't trip. I ran deeper and deeper. My mind was blank except for one thought as I ran, FIND HIM.
The familiar sound of water could be heard and not long later I had reached the clearing. Sasuke sat by the water's edge. He turned at the sound of my approach.
Upon the sight of me he flew up. "What are you doing here?" he asked surprise and shock apparent on his face.
"I.." I started. "I had to see you."
"Why?"
Tears slid down my face again, "What do you mean WHY? How can you ask me that?"
He walked to me. Cupping my face he leaned down and kissed me. I cired. It hurt. It hurt so much. How could I ever survive the loss of him, the loss of this?
"You have to go back," he whispered still holding my face.
"How can you accept that?" I asked my voice breaking.
"Because it is for the good of everyone," he answered.
"What about you? Is it for your benefit too?" I leaned my forehead forward onto his shoulder.
"I don't matter," he whispered.
"You do to me," I whispered back. "If you will not think about yourself, fine. What about me? Is it for my own good too?"
"Yes. He can give you everything I can't."
"No," I said and lifted my head up so I could stare into his eyes, "I don't care about possessions. I love you. I will always love you. And only you make me happy, truly happy," I cupped his face and leaned closer, "Only you." I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him.
I was suddenly back at the church again. Sasuke had walked me almost all the way back. I felt hollow inside, like someone had scrapped away everything good and left me barren.
I walked back into the church and slipped into the small room with the mirror. Ino rushed in after me, "Where have you been?! I've been looking for you!"
"Sorry I just needed some air," I said. Everything felt surreal. How had my life come to this point? I had always thought I'd get married happily. That I would love my husband. That I would mean it.
"Look at your dress its got dirt on it," she grabbed a cloth and leaned down helping to clean the dress.
Then I was walking down the aisle with a death grip on my bouquet. I glanced at Sasuke in the crowd, the pain was so sharp I thought my heart felt like it would leap out of my chest and wither on the floor.
I was chocking on the words I do.
Gaara's kiss was uncomfortable and repulsing. Those were not the lips I wanted to taste on my own. His touch did not burn. Instead his touch was cold.
The reception passed by in a blur.
As Kakashi and Iruka lifted the body, Gaara opened his eyes. He squinted as the bright light hit him but he seemed to recover quickly. He scanned the scenario and then his eyes rested on me.
Gaara's green eyes continued to stay fixed on me as he stood, pulling out of Kakashi and Iruka's hold. "Hello Sakura," he said his voice gruff.
I stepped back. "Gaara," I whispered. He couldn't hear me but my companions could via the headsets within the helmets. It was a wonder how Gaara had noticed me right away. The front was see through, I guess. But it was still difficult.
"Not going to give your husband a kiss hello?" he asked in an acidity tone.
And.. end scene.. lol.
Leave me a comment! I write more and update FASTER with comments :P
