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Hello everyone. -awkward silence- Um…yes, I can see that I haven't updated for nine months. -another even more awkward silence- So I don't know if anyone's actually going to read this…eh heh. But I'm updating. Yeah. -dodges sudden rush of rotten fruit being thrown- I'm really sorry. I had bad writer's block for the last chapter, as I stated in my previous, nine-months-ago update. I was going to let this fanfiction die. However…well, after reading a couple more awesome SasuSaku fanfics, I decided just to read up/check up on this fanfiction. I'm actually not so obsessed with Naruto as I was before, and usually, I need to be really obsessed to carry on with a fanfiction. But I still love SasukexSakura. SASUSAKU FTW!
Anyways, I've actually been preoccupied by something else. I'm sure you've all heard before of people getting pretty caught up in online games. Well, that happened to me. I kind of got caught up in Ragnarok during, thus my abandonment of this fanfiction…and every other fanfiction that needed to be updated that I ever wrote. I also closed my graphics website. OO I've also been busy with school, and stuff. But anyways, I've opened a new graphics/resources website called Essentuality (-shameless plug here-): http://essence. after reading chapter 12 of this fic, plus a couple of reviews, I guess I've been (perhaps temporarily) inspired to continue with this fanfiction. Um…so I hope that if any of my old, wonderful readers are reading this, please don't be too mad at me. I'm sorry. :/
Before you start reading, please note: HARRY POTTER 7 FTW! Thank you. :3
Music: Olivia Lufkins - Bliss Forest.
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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 13 - The Encountering
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His heart felt lighter these days.
Maybe it was because of her.
Thump.
She made him smile these days.
Thump.
She lifted him from his occasional moods.
Thump.
She loved him…just as he loved her.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
He felt as though he was finally embracing her…and her love for him.
No longer rejecting her.
No longer shunning her.
No longer denying her.
Step.
His mind wandered to the other wonderful, blessed day they had had…
"Ne, Sasuke-kun!"
He looked around to see her running up the trail, attempting to catch up with him.
He stopped slowly and watched her pant, approaching him.
"…"
"Sasuke-kun, do you want to go to have some ramen at the ojii-san's place?"
He frowned slightly.
"The dobe's hangout?"
Her smile lit up her whole face.
"Hai!"
He sighed, and smiled slightly.
"…fine."
He heard her giggle, then felt her grab his hand.
He followed her as she pulled him back down the path, towards Ichiraku Ramen.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The ramen shop slowly came into view, but the dobe, surprisingly, wasn't sitting in front of it, slurping away at his daily bowl of ramen. The shop was empty of all customers.
He sat down in a seat, watching her land on her own seat with a light thud.
"Ohayo, ojii-san! I'd like to order a bowl of shrimp ramen."
"Hai, hai, Sakura-san. And you, Sasuke-san?"
"Pork."
He watched the old man nod his head and walk to the back of the shop.
"One shrimp and one pork ramen!"
The bustling of the kitchen, and sounds of pots filled his ears.
He glanced at her, and saw her smiling at him with a sly expression on her face.
Silence.
His eyes narrowed slightly, suspicion drifting around him.
"…Sakura, why are you looking at me like that?"
He observed as she giggled again, keeping her mouth shut. She shook her head.
He scowled slightly, not liking secrets kept from him.
"Sakura…"
"You'll find out, Sasuke-kun."
Her voice sang out across the shop, rather annoyingly so.
Silence.
He sighed.
"…whatever."
Thud.
He blinked as a large bowl of ramen was place before him.
He looked up and saw the old man grinning rather evilly.
"Eat up, Sasuke-san!"
He heard her giggle again, and turned around to watch her start on her own reasonably sized bowl of ramen.
Something was amiss.
Silence.
He sighed, once more, and began to devour his food.
The minutes trickled by in silence, apart from slurps and grunts.
Thud.
He set down his now empty bowl on the table, and glanced over at her once more.
She was smiling slyly at him again.
He felt himself getting rather annoyed.
"Sakura, spit it."
Silence.
He watched her shake her head. Her eyes were focused on something over his shoulder.
He spun around, but the road was empty.
"What…?"
Boom.
And then, he was snatched up.
Before he even had time to react, his head hit water, and he sunk below the surface.
He swam up to the top, coughing, and spit water out.
They would all feel his wrath.
Silence.
Then a swarm of laughter hit him in the head, making his mind temporarily blank.
The dobe, Kakashi, and she were all on the bank of the river, laughing merrily.
He felt his anger die slightly, and shook his head.
The prank was on him.
"Teme!"
He was jerked back to the present at the sound of the dobe's voice.
"What?"
He looked around at the blonde, who was looking serious.
"…he's been spotted, Sasuke."
Silence.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
He turned and sprinted towards the Hokage's office, without another thought.
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To run, was nothing ever forseen
To hide, was nothing ever too difficult
And yet, this fear binds me inside,
Making me writhe with anguish,
Yearning to escape
To run
To hide
If I could jump into my bed, and
Pull the covers over my head
I would shiver with dread
At what was after me
To face my fears,
Is not something I can handle
And yet, I stand here, now
Looking it straight in the eye
My destiny?
Never again.
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"Are you sure about this, Sasuke?"
He was staring the Hokage straight in the eye.
"Aa."
Silence.
"I will be the one to kill him."
Silence.
He watched the Hokage turn towards the other three.
"Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto. You will accompany Sasuke. This will be a Team Seven mission."
His face darkened.
"You aren't going."
He glared at her, and watched her face turn defiant.
"Hokage-sama assigned his mission to Team Seven, and I'm part of Team Seven, Sasuke-kun! I'm going whether you like it or not."
He scowled.
"She's right, Sasuke."
His sensei's mild voice merely fueled his anger.
"Don't make this difficult, Sasuke, or I may have to replace you with someone else."
He stiffened at Tsunade's threat.
Silence.
"…whatever."
He exited the office.
He was going to get revenge.
That man would pay…
For everything.
Everything.
Step.
Step.
Step.
He wouldn't let her get in the way.
He wouldn't let her get hurt.
Nor the dobe.
Kakashi could take care of himself.
The scene, would be…
Him and that man.
Who was going to…
Die.
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I'm rooted to the spot
Shivering
In terror
My spirit quaking within its shell
My body shaking beneath my arms
For it was there
The cause of my nightmares
Endlessly,
Night and day
Haunting me
Always haunting
Why, I would not dare go to sleep,
Or be alone in the dark
I am afraid
And I know, now
How it is…
How it's always been.
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Thud.
Their feet barely made any noise as they jumped from tree to tree, towards the direction that that man had been previously spotted.
They did not speak, and silence echoed around them, only disturbed by the soft sounds of their travel.
Silence.
"Sasuke-kun…"
His heart skipped a beat from her voice, his mind instantly shifting to her.
"…"
"…are you really going to kill him…this time?"
Her voice was hesitant, her tone cautious, yet worried.
"…aa."
He heard the dobe turn to look at him, and felt a pang of annoyance at both teammates' interference, whether physical or emotional.
"Sasuke, what if you get trapped in that, again?"
Thud.
He did not want to think about last time. The last time he encountered that man…
"Sasuke-kun, you have to let us help you."
Her words registered in his mind, and his stomach leapt with worry.
"You can't fight him alone! Besides, this is a team mission. Let us help you Sasuke-kun; we hate him just as much as you do."
But no, they did not. They knew nothing. She knew nothing about his hatred…how deep it went. It made him an avenger, and nothing else. He would stop at nothing to have revenge, except, perhaps…
Her safety.
Her life.
Her love.
Silence.
"No."
His tone was firm, curt, and left no room for argument.
He noticed her bite her lip out of the corner of his eye, her expression marred with stubbornness and disquiet.
The dobe was unusually quiet, and grave.
Silence.
Thud.
He was starting to feel something rise from the pit of his stomach. Emotions, so mixed that they could not form a whole.
Worry.
Excitement.
Anxiety.
Satisfaction.
Anger.
Twisted joy.
Hate.
Hate.
Hate.
For, he was going to see that man again…soon. Very soon. And when he did, that man would die, by his hand. Perhaps, then, he would be able to live as peacefully as his life could get, with her…
He suddenly sensed someone nearby. His hand instantly grabbed a kunai, and he threw it swiftly out in the direction of the presence. Something flitted among the trees.
"There's someone here!"
Way to state the obvious, dobe.
He looked around at the trees, and happened to see her concentrated expression. He would not let her beautiful face be disfigured. Her pure heart would not be tainted, as his was.
Silence.
Then…
Water, hardened into needles, shot out of nowhere, towards the trio like bullets.
He whipped around, fending off some of the needles. However, he could not help but watch a couple needles travel towards her in slow motion, about to pierce her skin…
A blur, a yell, and she was safely on his other side.
"Took you long enough to get here, Kakashi-sensei!"
The dobe's voice was so loud…so irritatingly loud.
But at least, Kakashi had saved her.
He could not let himself slip up.
He should have anticipated that attack.
He would not let himself be so stupid again.
Thud.
He dodged another onslaught of needles, and activated the Sharingan.
Thud.
His eyes followed the movement of the man, who was now reduced to slow motion in his vision.
A blue-skinned man, that looked quite like a shark.
Kisame, that man's partner.
His expression darkened, and he performed hand signs in quick motions.
"Katon, Housenka no Jutsu!"
A huge fire burst from his mouth, heading right towards the shark man, who sent back a cascade of water that doused the fire.
He gritted his teeth.
He should've known better than to use fire attacks against a water-based shinobi.
Still…
If Kisame was here, then that man had to be near.
"Sasuke, left!"
The sound of Kakashi's voice jerked him out of his temporary distraction and he dodged a barrage of kunai.
His eyes scoured the woods, searching frantically for some sign of that man. He was here to kill, and only kill. Not to deal with some side-kick.
Silence.
And then, he saw it.
A shadow standing a distance away, watching them…watching them, with blood-red eyes.
It was that man.
That man.
Silence.
His eyes narrowed, and he darted towards that shadow.
"Sasuke-kun!"
Even her voice did not pull him back this time, as he ran towards his life's goal.
Kill.
Kill.
Kill.
"Teme! Come back here! Where're you going?"
He ignored the dobe.
Kunai flew towards him out of the trees, but he dodged them easily, adrenaline racing through his blood.
That man was there. Right in front of him.
He could practically taste the revenge.
Step.
Step.
Step.
He got nearer, and could see the facial features of his brother, from the impassive expression to the hated red eyes of the Mangekyou Sharingan.
…and then, the red eyes crinkled in amusement, before they simply…
Disappeared.
His eyes widened in shock, and he spun around, looking frantically to see where his opponent had gone.
Silence.
"Take that, fishy!"
"Naruto, be careful!"
His brain whirled as he searched for that man. But no where…no where…
And then, he heard something that curdled his blood.
He stopped, stiff and frozen, his bones immobile.
It was…
So surely…
So loudly…
So piercingly…
Her scream.
It filled his ears with its high-pitched, piercing sound, reverberating through his ear pipes and down into his heart. His insides clenched with fear, suddenly cold and clammy.
He turned around.
…to see that man holding her, with a kunai across her throat.
The sight was a horror to behold.
Her emerald-green eyes gazed at him, filled with terror, his reflection shifting within them.
Her lips were parted slightly, allowing short pants of fright escape from them.
Her face was pale, as pale as skin could get, and a single tear trickled down over it.
"Sasuke-kun…"
He could barely catch the words she whispered, as they floated towards him.
Sasuke-kun…
He watched a coldly satisfied expression settle on that man's face, as his stomach clenched yet again.
With anger.
With terror.
With hopelessness.
With fear.
With pain.
"You have feelings for her, dear little brother?"
He saw the kunai press against her tender skin, making a cut from which blood glistened, and seeped out.
He heard her gasp sharply.
"You should know nothing but hate, little brother of mine…perhaps, you have forgotten."
He watched as an icily cruel smile tugged up the corners of his foe's lips.
No.
"Sweet dreams, little brother. Sweet dreams."
And he was plunged into a world of darkness, of world of dreams…
A world of genjustu.
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Darkness, darkness, beholds all.
I place my face in my hands, my eyes wide with horror.
That nightmare, that vision, of what I have seen.
Frightens me beyond measure,
Beyond my wildest dreams.
Such a sight to know,
Such a sight to see…
Was I once able to stand this?
But now, I am weak, and cannot
Face my fears,
My weaknesses,
My destiny.
For that is what I must do,
If I am to be forever here,
In this bath of tears.
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Silence.
He opened his eyes slowly; his brain felt dead.
All was darkness.
He frowned slightly, unable to recall the previous events for a moment.
Then, they all rushed back to him.
His eyes widened instantly, and he sat up so fast that his back cracked.
But he didn't care.
"SAKURA!"
His cry echoed around the darkness, as though he was in a vast room, wide in width, length, and height. He could see nothing, hear nothing, smell nothing, taste nothing, and feel nothing.
His brain reeled with panic, and his breathing became irregular.
But then…
A light flashed from the corner of his eye, and he spun around, staring…
Staring…
Staring…
At her.
Lying, in a spotlight, her face ashen, her lips grey.
Her eyes, blank and dead.
Dead.
Dead.
Dead.
Her hair lay limply around her, her body sprawled in an unnatural position on the floor.
Her bones looked broken.
Like a puppet that had been thrown to the floor.
He felt himself drift towards her, as though he was riding on a cloud, and he landed next to her…next to her tormented body.
He reached out to touch her hair, his hand numb with disbelief.
His mind numb with disbelief.
He didn't want to believe it.
He couldn't believe it.
It was impossible.
She couldn't be…
Silence.
Dead.
No…
Silence.
Her skin was ice, and she did not react in any way to his touch.
He kneeled over her.
No…
No.
NO!
"SAKURA!"
The scream ripped from this throat, sounded ten times as loud in the echoing silence.
A fiery sensation gripped him, and he bent over her, lifting her by the shoulders.
She hung from his hold, broken and lifeless.
Sakura…
Silence.
His eyes closed, tears slipping from between the lids, and trailing down his face.
Sakura…
He held her close to his body, his face inches away from hers.
Her pale, grey, empty face.
Sakura…
He touched her face gently, and leaned forwards.
Silence.
He pressed his lips to her cheek, softly, kissing her.
And then…
"…Sasu…ke…-kun…?"
He jerked away from her, feeling her move slightly in his arms.
She was looking up at him, her shining, precious eyes holding him in a gaze filled with confusion.
"Sasuke-kun? What…what are you doing?"
Her skin was flushed, and her hair beautiful. A red tinge stained her cheeks.
He couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
"Sasuke…kun?"
Her voice, that sweet melody, floated to his ears, sounding so surreal…so surreal…
"…Sakura?"
He watched her rosy lips curve into a smile at the sound of her name.
"Hai, Sasuke-kun."
His breathing slowed.
She was alive.
She was safe.
She was here…with him.
But…
But…
Silence.
Where exactly was here?
He looked around, his arms still protectively around her.
All was dark.
Blackness surrounded them, enveloping them, caressing them gently in its grasp.
"Sakura…where are we?"
He saw her eyes widen slightly at the question, and her head turn to stare to her right.
"I don't know, Sasuke-kun…where do you think we are?"
He frowned slightly.
This wasn't right.
Where had everyone gone?
In his panic and worry about her, he had forgotten about the others.
Kakashi…the dobe…and that man.
That man…
That…
That…
Silence.
A thought struck him, and he instantly let go of her.
He watched hurt fill her eyes as she tumbled to the floor.
"S-Sasuke! What was that for? It hurt!"
His frown deepened.
She would never say something like that.
And she hadn't even added the affectionate "-kun" to the end of his name.
"I know what you're doing."
Silence.
"Sasuke-kun…I don't understand."
He noticed that she was looking at him quizzically.
And looking more unlike herself.
"Stop it…Itachi."
Silence.
He watched her confused expression disappear, replaced by something unfeeling.
"So, little brother…"
Her lips curled into a smile.
"Would you like to watch your beloved die?"
And that man suddenly appeared before her, holding her, with a kunai at her heart.
He saw that she looked frightened.
"Sasuke-kun! Save me!"
Silence.
No.
His opponent looked at him.
"…then, enjoy."
That man plunged the knife into her heart.
Over.
And over.
And over…again.
Sasuke-kun, don't watch me die…
Sasuke-kun, save me…please save me…
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No ending verse for the poem this time. I'm really running out of ideas for them, for all I really do is just put random angst-y words together to form something comprehendible (or not). I might just stop doing them altogether. Anyways…yeah. I guess that most of you guys have given up on this fanfic…but I know it's my fault for updating after nine months.
The poem is this chapter is called Bath of Tears.
So, these are what may happen to Broken Typography:
1) Continue, and end like it should.
2) Go on long hiatuses, random updates, and eventually die.
3) End early, although I really don't think that'll work out.
I'd really like option #1 to work, but I'm not sure if I'll have enough inspiration to continue the fanfiction to the end, for I still have like twenty chapters left (yes, I've planned out the ending). I really want to do the ending, though. Well, we'll see.
If you support and want option #1 to happen though, please review! I really do feel more inspired when I read reviews, and if I know that there are actually people that want me to continue this story to the end. Review, si-vous-plait!
