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How did everyone who had this story on their alert list know that I updated last chapter? The alerts weren't working, for one. Well, anyways, thanks for reading, all, and thanks to runwithskizzers, HPBabe91, Rostta, cutiepug66, iamNOTafangirl3221, and Tears like Crystals for reviewing! Love ya guys.

Music: "Say it Right" by Nelly Furtado.

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B r o k e n T y p o g r a p h y

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Chapter 8 - Never Forget It

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Step.

Step.

Step.

He leapt from branch to branch, watching for things that signaled that someone had been here.

Broken twigs.

Dead leaves.

Scrape marks.

Everything.

Pause.

He increased his speed, running at a faster rate.

He had to catch up with that sand nin.

Sabaku no Gaara.

And finish the redhead off.

Silence.

Nobody was here.

Even the animals had fled.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

His mind drifted to her.

How was she, now?

She hadn't followed him, had she?

He had told her to stay behind…

No.

She wouldn't disobey him.

She knew better than to do that.

But still…

Silence.

He pushed that thought to the back of his mind.

She was hurt…

She wouldn't be able to run, anyways.

…right?

Pause.

He could still see…

That scene,

Playing over and over in his head.

Falling…

Always falling.

Forever more.

Into eternity.

Silence.

He cleared his head hastily.

This wasn't the time to be reflecting on what had happened previously.

He had a mission.

To track down Gaara of the Sand and bring him back.

Kill him.

And those other two…

Gaara's siblings.

The sand siblings.

What a bother…

Step.

Step.

Step.

He knew he was gaining on them.

One step closer…

Two steps closer…

More.

He could feel their presences now.

Coming nearer.

Nearer.

Nearer.

And now, voices.

Echoing through the forest.

Running sounds.

Talking.

"…stop…wake…"

Louder.

"Gaara…wake…need…now."

Then, shapes…

Flickering through the many leaves in the numerous trees.

Going in and out of sight.

Smirk.

He was there.

Silence.

He saw the girl's head turn around.

He heard the blonde gasp, magnified by the silence of the forest.

Then…

"He's here!"

His smirk widened.

"…you're not getting away."

He watched as the other boy scowled, then started running faster.

However…

The girl stopped.

"Come on Temari, what are you doing?"

He saw the girl look back at her brother.

"I'll take him on. You carry Gaara away from danger."

Stop.

He was now a few yards away from the blonde.

"How touching."

He heard the girl growl.

He could feel the worry.

This sand nin was no match against him.

"Bring it on, Uchiha!"

His feet tensed.

"As you wish."

And then, he leapt.

Speeding towards Temari like a bolt of lightning.

He heard her gasp of shock and her feet moving.

Trying to avoid him.

He threw three kunai in her way.

It was too bad that they didn't hit her.

But…

He now aimed three shuriken at the kunai.

The shuriken diverted the paths of the kunai so that they hurtled towards Temari.

The blonde was running.

Dodging.

He frowned slightly.

It was time to turn things up.

This was taking up too much time. The more he battled, the farther away Gaara was getting.

"Sorry, but I'll have to leave you."

He saw the girl's expression turn slightly wary and confused.

Silence.

He performed several hand seals.

"Katon, Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

The flames burst from his mouth and shrouded his vision with smoke.

There was no way she could see him through this.

And with that, he left the clearing.

Heading after Sabaku no Gaara, once more.

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What was my sorrow?

But to be veiled

By her innocence

That devilish mind

My downfall

And now, my tears

Covering the ground beneath me

My feet, soaking wet

My hair, tangled and cold

My hand, tingling with guilt

For I, was the one

That murdered her in cold blood

My tears…

Falling down before me

Puddles, forming in line

My reflections, reflected in those swirling mirrors

What was I to say,

What I felt?

For me…it was only me that killed her.

That bloody murder.

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He ran faster.

Faster.

Faster.

His muscles were beginning to protest,

But he didn't care.

He had to catch up with Gaara.

Sabaku no Gaara.

That sand shinobi…

Silence.

He was certain that he had left Temari behind.

There was no way she could catch up with him that quickly.

And now…

He only had the other one left to deal with.

What was his name?

Kankurou.

Gaara's brother…

Pause.

He frowned.

How troublesome.

First he had to deal with the wind mistress,

And now,

He had to fight the puppet user.

Silence.

He could hear them, once more.

Running away.

Too cowardly to fight.

He quickened his pace.

To get there…

Capture Gaara.

Kill him.

And go back,

To her.

He wondered if she was alright.

He couldn't stop himself from worrying.

Was she protected?

Did anyone attack her?

Was she hurt, again?

What would happen to her if he wasn't there to look after her?

Silence.

He stopped.

"What do you want?"

Kankurou was glaring at him, demanding an answer.

Pause.

"…your brother and I haven't finished our fight."

Silence.

"How can you two fight when he's not even conscious?"

Pause.

He frowned slightly.

"I'm on a mission to bring him back to Konohana."

He saw the puppet user's face darken.

He watched as the boy put Gaara down, then faced him.

"Then you'll have to get past me first."

Silence.

"Hn."

He leapt, throwing multiple kunai at Kankurou.

The other boy dodged skillfully, then threw a smoke bomb and disappeared.

He scowled slightly.

So, the puppet user was going to go into hiding again, and control his puppets from afar.

Suddenly, something dropped down behind him.

He instantly leapt away, narrowly avoiding a fatal attack from the puppet.

It was now pelting poisoned needles at him.

He dodged, weaving back and forth between the needles, branches, and trees.

"Katon, Ryuuka no Jutsu!"

He watched as the puppet moved away from the dragon flame.

Silence.

This gave him a chance to look around for the puppet user.

Then, he noticed something.

Multiple threads, all leading to the same place.

They seemed to be attached to the puppet.

His fire jutsu had illuminated the chakra threads Kankurou used to control the puppet.

He smirked.

Bingo.

He jumped and flew through the air, severing all of the threads that connected the puppet to the user. Then, he aimed several shuriken at Kankurou's hiding place

There was a yell, and Kankurou emerged angrily.

The puppet fell down, down, down, to the forest ground with a thud.

Pause.

It was time to end this.

He started running.

So fast that he was only a blur.

Then, moving forwards…

"Shishi Rendan!"

He felt his feet meet with something hard.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Kankurou fell to the ground, head bleeding and badly hurt.

Silence.

He landed on the branch where Sabaku no Gaara lay, still unconscious.

He picked the sand nin up roughly, and turned around.

However…

"You're not getting away."

He looked up, frowning, and saw Temari a few trees away from him, panting and scowling. She had her fan out.

There was another noise, and Kankurou joined Temari.

Two against one.

He sighed.

What a bother.

"Get out of my way."

He watched as the sand siblings glared at him. They spoke in unison.

"Never."

Silence.

It looked like he would have to fight them.

He tensed, ready to spring, when…

Suddenly…

Silence.

A feeling of horrible foreboding entered him.

Filling up every particle of his body.

Hazing over in his mind, making him unable to think of anything else.

She was in danger.

Somehow,

He knew.

She was in danger.

For what reason, he did not know.

How, he couldn't tell.

By who or what, he wasn't aware of.

All he knew,

Was that she needed him right now.

Sabaku no Gaara wasn't important anymore.

His mission?

Screw that.

He dropped Gaara.

He briefly noticed the look of shock on the sand siblings' faces, and hardly realized that Kankurou had jumped down to catch Gaara.

He had to get to her.

With that thought in mind…

He ran away, as fast as he could manage, towards Konohana…

To her.

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Showing upon me

Millions of drops of water

Down from the heavens

Into my soul

Was this what I was fated to become?

A regretful spirit…

A tortured essence.

Destined to stay here

With my bloodied hands

That memory, repeating, over and over

In my head

Like a film that will never end

This is my life

What I was born to become

What I was intended to do

To never have a love

For she…

Was dead

By me

Forevermore…

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Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

He could hear voices up ahead.

A familiar voice…

A scream.

Crying.

And…was that his name?

"-ke-kun!"

Perhaps…

"aske-kun…"

Was she…

"Sasuke-kun!"

Calling for him?

"Sasuke-kun…save me…"

Silence.

His head snapped up.

"Sasuke-kun…save me…"

Save me.

She was crying…

Crying for help.

From him.

Pause.

He burst into the clearing.

Silence.

And saw, to his utter horror…

Her.

In the hands, of a monster.

Controlled by a sound shinobi.

"Sasuke-kun…"

He saw her sobbing, while frantically trying to get away from the large rat.

"I'm sorry…"

Silence.

He knew that she hadn't seen him.

She was talking to herself.

Insanity.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun…"

He could only stand there, as though hypnotized, watching.

"I…I l-"

"Time to die, missy."

He returned to reality with a sickening thud.

The rat…

Was going to kill her.

She was near death, the second time this day.

He watched, horrified, as the rat opened its jaws and leaned forwards to eat her…

"No!"

Silence.

Everything stopped in time.

He watched as she turned her head, seeing him, and looking completely shocked.

He knew that the sound nin was very surprised to see him.

Silence.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

"…Sasuke-kun?"

It was her.

She was speaking to him.

Her voice, soft.

Quavering, uncertain, as though he was an apparition she was seeing.

But no…

She was not hallucinating.

He was here.

For her.

"…"

He turned his head and looked her straight in the eyes.

So that she knew he was here, to protect her.

She wasn't going to die this day.

"Ah, Uchiha-san…"

He frowned slightly, then looked over at the sound nin, who seemed to be surveying him with an interest.

"…"

Pause.

"Orochimaru-sama would like to see you…he has been looking for you all over Konohana, you see."

Silence.

"…do you think I care?"

Pause.

He saw the expression on the sound shinobi's face falter slightly.

"Well, Uchiha-san-"

"Let her go."

Silence.

"…what?"

His face was cold as he glared at the sound nin.

"I said, let her go."

He saw that the sound shinobi looked nonplussed.

"…?"

Then, an expression of realization dawned on the older ninja's face.

"Oh! You mean…this pretty little kunoichi?"

He watched, anger rising in him, as the sound shinobi smirked and pointed up at her.

Silence.

"S-Sasuke-kun…"

"Be quiet."

He heard her sharp intake of breath, then she fell silent.

"Well, Uchiha-san…"

Pause.

"How about we make a deal?"

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"…"

The sound shinobi was smirking again.

"If you come with me to see Orochimaru-sama…I'll let this little lady go."

Silence.

He could see her eyes, wide, as she looked at him, begging him not to go.

He was in no mood to bargain.

"…no."

This time, the sound ninja's face darkened.

"What? I'm afraid I didn't hear co-"

"I said, no."

He looked the other ninja full in the face.

"If you don't let her go…I'll kill you."

The threat in his voice couldn't be mistaken.

And he knew, as the other ninja looked rather worried, that his eyes showed a murdering intent. He would not go back on his word.

Silence.

The other shinobi let all pretenses fall.

"Then, we'll have to fight. Don't feel too badly if you lose, Uchiha-san."

Then, the shinobi grinned.

"You guys can come on out now."

His head whipped around.

Five other sound shinobi had materialized out of the darkness of the trees, surrounding them.

He cursed himself for not noticing their presences. He had been too preoccupied with worrying about her.

He heard her gasp of shock.

They were outnumbered.

He knew she couldn't fight very well, at the moment.

Six to one.

It was them against him.

He knew he was good.

But not that good.

His eyes drifted over to her.

He couldn't see her face..

But knew that she was crying silently.

Silence.

His resolve hardened.

He would fight, to save her.

Even if…

Just if…

Would I?

It meant that he would die trying.

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In the night,

I sit out

Under the darkening sky

My soul perished

My spirit filled with guilt

For all I know

Is my revolting existence

Killing the one I loved

To save my own skin

Was this what was meant to be?

Maybe…

If the fates were against me

But no,

It is my fault

My decision to make

And now, she's up, in the sky

Watching me…

Forgiving me?

Quite unlikely

Hating me

Forever more as an angel.

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Thud.

He knocked back the fatal kunai of another shinobi.

Crack.

He watched as the one above him hit a tree with full force.

Snap.

He expertly flicked the wrist of a kunoichi, and it broke.

Silence.

He could feel her behind him, keeping a wary eye out for his back.

"Sasuke-kun, there's one below you!"

He looked down and jumped just in time to miss a shower of poisoned needles.

"Behind you, Sasuke-kun!"

He whipped around and dealt the ninja a damaging blow to the shoulder.

"Two to the right!"

He leapt backwards a few branches, performing a few hand seals.

"Katon, Housenka no Jutsu!"

Screams filled the air as flower-like flames cascaded down to the ground, burning quite a few things along the way.

Just then, someone kicked him tremendously in the back.

He staggered.

He heard her scream out a warning, then felt a sharp pain in his upper left arm as a knife sliced through it.

Pause.

He managed to get away a few yards from the attacking ninja, and gripped his arm tightly.

It was bleeding all over the place, and his shirt was quickly soaked in blood.

He saw her crying at the sight of this, but not because she was afraid of blood.

No.

It was his blood.

"S-Sasuke-kun…they're coming."

He knew that.

Three ninja were closing in on him, eyes flashing with fury, as they still had not captured him.

"Really, Uchiha-san…if you would just come with us, it would spare all the trouble."

He didn't even bother to look at the one who spoke.

He was rummaging in his pockets, pulling out three kunai.

Then…

He leapt into the air.

He could feel her eyes on him, watching, wondering, what he was going to do with three kunai.

Silence.

He lobbed the kunai into the air, not even close to the three sound ninja closing in on him.

He heard one laugh.

"What an aim, kid."

Pause.

It was too bad that that ninja spoke too soon.

He tossed three shuriken at the kunai so that they hit them. The kunai started speeding in the directions of the three sound nin.

"What the-?"

One was pierced right in the leg.

"Arrrgh!"

Another was sliced on the cheek.

The third one managed to narrowly avoid the kunai.

Silence.

He landed smoothly on a branch next to her.

"That was so smart, Sasuke-kun!"

"…"

He didn't bother to reply.

The fight was getting the better of him.

He was winded, injured in several places, and losing a lot of blood.

"Sasuke-kun…I can bandage that for you-"

"There's no time."

The other three shinobi had helped their comrades up, and all six were coming at him and her.

For a moment, he had thought that he was going to win this.

Maybe, they could've bought enough time to escape.

But he should've knew that six against one was impossible.

He had wasted energy chasing after Sabaku no Gaara, and fighting the sand siblings.

It looked like there was no choice…

"Remember, your limit is two times a day. If you try more…well, don't even think that far."

Silence.

He clenched his right hand.

Focus…

Focus the chakra in his right hand…

He looked up at the six ninja.

It was his last hope.

And now

"Chidori!"

He tore through one sound nin.

Completely mutilated the arm of another.

Slashed through the leg of the kunoichi.

And caused the others to scatter.

But…

He was stopped by the incoming of thirty kunai.

Pause.

He leapt up, out of the way.

But two of the kunai found their way into his left leg and lower back.

He fell onto a particularly large branch, bent over in pain.

Silence.

The seal on his neck was tingling.

"Sasuke-kun!"

He looked around with difficulty and saw the last three sound ninja coming at him with a killing intent.

Pause.

It was over.

For him.

All the foes were focused on him, now.

She was out of harm's way.

"Sakura…go! Get out of here! Leave, now!"

He saw her hesitate, looking at him.

"If you want to help, go get Kakashi!"

But, he knew he wasn't going to last that long.

She wasn't stupid.

He knew that she wouldn't leave him.

But…

She had to.

Didn't she see…

That he was doing this for her?

He was risking his life for her?

He was going to die for her?

Silence.

He watched her face. Her expression had turned determined.

"I won't leave you, Sasuke-kun."

He could've killed himself with anger.

"You baka, get out of here! There's nothing you can do to help!"

He saw her flinch slightly at his insult. However, he was too angry to care.

"If Sasuke-kun dies…I die with him."

Silence.

He stared at her.

Seeming to have forgotten all about the danger.

She…was an idiot.

"You baka."

His voice was hoarse, but scathing.

"You…don't see…"

He saw her expression turn confused.

"That I…"

Pause.

"I'm doing this for you."

He watched her. Something registered in her brain, and her eyes grew wide, horrified. Her mouth opened silently, not a sound coming out.

"How touching."

He snapped back to the present.

The sound ninja were around him, now, their weapons out and ready.

"Maybe…we should kill her first."

His heart stopped.

"Yes…after all, he killed one of us."

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

No.

They couldn't…

He heard her gasp in shock and stumble backwards.

But it was too late.

One of the shinobi was behind her.

"Watch…Uchiha-san, as we slaughter the girl that is so precious to you."

Her eyes were wide with fright.

His heart was beating so furiously in his chest that he thought he might just die from it.

She…

Was going to die.

And was he going to save her this time?

Silence.

I love you.

The sound shinobi smirked, and raised the weapon.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

The sword ran straight to her heart.

Don't ever forget it.

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I know, now

That my death was inevitable

From the start, the fates have said

That my destiny, was to die

By my own hand

For I will drown

In my tears

The rain, coming down on me

This water, trickling down my face

I will gasp

And choke

Immerse myself

In a bath of tears

To drift away, slowly

Towards that dark and forbidding light

Where her hatred lays, clear

Waiting, for the rest of my days to come

For I am dying

My punishment

For myself

For killing her…

And her body, floats

With mine

In my bath of tears.

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Intense. Quite a lot of fighting in this chapter…and not that easy to write (for me, anyway). Sakura's dying, Sakura's dying, lalaladeda. Poor, poor Sasuke-kun…well, he was never too good at expressing the meaning of his actions. Sometimes, he's blunt, and sometimes, he's so subtle that it's almost unbearable. And, just so everyone's clear, the "songs" in the chapters aren't actually songs with tunes…they're just lyrical poems I wrote. They may have music one day, though…

The lyrics in this chapter are from a song of mine called Bath of Tears.

Please review. It makes me very happy! I'd like to know if you guys liked this chapter. And anyways…I may update faster if you review.